After interviewing Monday for the offensive coordinator job in Alabama, Ryan Grubb has decided to stay on the OC in Washington, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation. Here’s what you need to know:
- In his first season as the OC under coach Kalen DeBoer in Washington, Grubb Plays called for an offense that ranked #7 in points and #10 in yards per game nationally after falling near the bottom of the Pac- 12 in 2021.
- Grubb received a contract extension and two raises — one in November and another in December after Texas A&M expressed interest — to $2 million a year, believed to be the highest assistant salary in Pac-12 history. Grubb’s salary in Washington will remain unchanged, according to a source.
- Alabama’s OC job became vacant when Bill O’Brien returned to the New England Patriots as OC and quarterbacks coach.
backstory
DeBoer initially hired Grubb in 2007 as an assistant at the University of Sioux Falls – then NAIA, now NCAA Division II – and later worked with him at Eastern Michigan (2014-16) and Fresno State (2017-18). When DeBoer moved to Indiana for the OC job in 2019, Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford promoted Grubb to the OC, and he remained in that position when DeBoer returned to Fresno State as head coach in 2020. In 2021, Grubb led a Bulldogs offense who averaged 33.4 points per game (26th nationally) and was DeBoer’s first hired assistant when he took the job in Washington in November 2021.
With Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr. leading the nation in passing yards per game, the Huskies went from one of the least efficient and most explosive offenses in the league to one of the best in the country in 2022, finishing with an 11-2 Record. Predictably, this drew interest from other schools, including Texas A&M. Grubb said in a radio interview in December that he’s also been contacted by schools about head coaching jobs — he’s been transparent about his goal of becoming a head coach one day — but ultimately wanted to stay with DeBoer in Washington, particularly Penix and others Key offensive players returning in 2023.
Among other things, Grubb told KJR 93.3 FM in December, “I just think I’m on a journey right now, and I feel very committed and committed to being the best O coordinator in the country with the best offensive staff, and that is exactly what we have here.”
What does this mean for Washington?
Losing Grubb would have been a huge blow, especially when there are so many offensive pieces to build on their 2022 breakout season. Penix is back, along with 1,000-yard receivers Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan, and now the Huskies can rest assured that their star play-caller will return as well.
Grubb wants to be a head coach, so it’s entirely possible he’ll only stay in Washington for one more season — but if that’s the case, it’s a result DeBoer will be prepared for rather than having to scramble to replace him in the February due to an unexpected departure. There are already potential candidates on the Huskies staff, such as receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard and tight ends coach Nick Sheridan, but that’s not an avenue DeBoer needs to explore right now. — cape
Where is Alabama headed next?
Grubb, Akron head coach Joe Moorhead and Oklahoma OC Jeff Lebby have all attracted interest from Alabama but are not expected to leave their current posts. Where is the tide? It’s an interesting question. The job is undoubtedly elite and the pay will be high. But Nick Saban is notoriously demanding, and he has more competition for his throne at the top of the sport than ever with Georgia in the midst of a national title fight. Factor in the fact that O’Brien has become something of a scapegoat in the fan base — despite coaching a Heisman winner in 2021 and was the nation’s No. 4 in 2022 — and you can understand why established coaches are reluctant to make the leap Tuscaloosa. — luck
required reading
(Photo: Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)