Kalen DeBoer, Alabama hiring Ryan Grubb as Crimson Tide offensive coordinator

Kalen DeBoer has added his former offensive coordinator a year later than planned at Alabama.

The Crimson Tide have hired Ryan Grubb as their offensive coordinator according to the program’s official collective Yea Alabama. On3’s Pete Nakos confirmed Grubb’s hiring, adding Grubb will now be the primary offensive play caller for Alabama.

Last season’s offensive coordinator, Nick Sheridan, is expected to remain on staff, as will co-OC/WR coach JaMarcus Shephard, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.

Grubb worked under DeBoer at Washington and Fresno State as his offensive coordinator, a quarterbacks coach, and the associate head coach. In those four seasons together, their offenses posted 35.5 points per game with 480.3 yards of total offense on average. That included quality quarterback play from Jake Haener and Michael Penix Jr. as those offenses passed for 349.1 yards, 2.5 touchdowns, and less than an interception a game on 65.2% completion during their time together.

Grubb also coached under DeBoer as an offensive line coach and run game coordinator at Sioux Falls and an offensive line coach again at Eastern Michigan.

However, after originally agreeing to follow DeBoer to Tuscaloosa last offseason when he was named Alabama’s head coach, Grubb ended up taking the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator job under their new coach in Mike Macdonald. That offense this season averaged 22.1 points and 332.2 yards per game of offense as Geno Smith had a good season in completion rate and yardage but threw just 21 touchdowns as compared to 15 picks.

Seattle then fired Grubb in January right after their season ended with that leading to speculation the past month that this hire could eventually come.

As for Alabama, they played well under Sheridan, who also came with DeBoer as his former tight ends coach who also had previously been an offensive coordinator before at Indiana. The Tide posted 33.8 ppg. and 410.2 yards of offense in ’24. Jalen Milroe led much of that as a dual-threat quarterback with 274.6 yards per game and 36 total touchdowns scored.

Grubb has done a lot of good work under DeBoer over the past decade and a half at multiple programs. He’ll now have the chance to do so again with him having the headset starting this fall at Alabama.