Alabama met Monday with Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb as a candidate for the Tide’s play-caller vacancy, according to multiple reports, including 247 Sports.
Grubb, 47, spent last season leading the Huskies’ offense while also serving as its quarterbacks coach. The Iowa native has coached at the FBS level since 2014 but never in the SEC and has no direct ties to Saban or his coaching tree.
Washington raised Grubb’s salary twice late in 2022, including a second raise in December that would pay him $2 million annually through 2025, according to the Seattle Times. That placed Grubb among the highest-paid assistants in college football and significantly higher than Bill O’Brien, who made $1.1 million the past two seasons for Alabama.
The Houston Chronicle reported Texas A&M was interested in Grubb before it hired Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator in early January.
Washington had one of the nation’s most improved offenses during Grubb’s first season in 2022. After finishing among the worst teams in the country in 2021, it ranked second among FBS teams this past season in averaging 515.8 yards per game, behind only Tennessee. Its 39.7 points per game ranked seventh, behind teams including Alabama at 41.1 points per game.
Washington’s quarterback during the 2022 season was Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr., who led the nation in passing yards per game (357.0) while finishing eighth in Heisman Trophy voting.
As a team, the Huskies led the nation in passing yards per game (369.8) and third-down conversion rate (56.8 percent), while committing only 11 turnovers -- tied for ninth-fewest among FBS teams. They ranked 69th in rushing yards per game (146.0).
Grubb followed first-year Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer from Fresno State, where Grubb served in various roles from 2017-21. He began as the Bulldogs’ run-game coordinator and offensive line coach, then became their offensive coordinator and later coached quarterbacks.
Grubb also coached Eastern Michigan’s offensive line in 2014-16 when DeBoer was EMU’s offensive coordinator, and previously worked with DeBoer at the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota.
“He’s a great offensive mind,” DeBoer said in September of Grubb, according to the Seattle Times. “Especially the last eight years, we built the offense together. He’s been very involved. Yes, he was the offensive line coach prior to being the coordinator. But he knew he wanted to be a coordinator, so he was always paying attention, asking questions and we were developing our system together.”
Grubb coached Sioux Falls’ offensive line from 2007-09 and became its offensive coordinator during its transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II. He played for Buena Vista University, a Division III school in Iowa, and served as an assistant for South Dakota State in 2005-06.
Alabama is searching for its sixth offensive coordinator in the past eight seasons after O’Brien, whose contract was expiring, was hired by the New England Patriots in the same role.
Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.
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