Ever since Kalen DeBoer was hired as a Division I football coach, Ryan Grubb has consistently been his quarterback guy.
Returning to Fresno State after a two-season stint as the Bulldogs’ quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, DeBoer promoted Grubb to fill his former jobs. When DeBoer was hired as head coach at Washington, Grubb followed him to Seattle to fill the same roles on the Huskies staff.
That was the original plan in 2024 when DeBoer was hired at Alabama. Grubb, clad in crimson and white, was seen recruiting for the Crimson Tide before he joined the Seattle Seahawks staff as offensive coordinator.
Grubb was always DeBoer’s quarterback guy. And now he will have that chance again after being named as the Crimson Tide’s newest offensive coordinator, the team’s fourth offensive coordinator in four years.
What does Grubb, DeBoer and, now, Alabama want out of a quarterback? And what does this mean for the incoming Crimson Tide quarterback battle Grubb is set to inherit?
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Ryan Grubb quarterbacks run the show
From Jake Haener at Fresno State to Michael Penix Jr. at Washington, Grubb quarterbacks have been at the center of high-octane, pass-first offenses.
Haener and Penix were each 4,000-yard passers under Grubb’s tutelage, a yardage total an Alabama quarterback has not reached since Bryce Young’s Heisman Trophy-winning season in 2021.
In Penix’s two seasons with the Huskies, he led the Pac-12 conference in pass attempts, combining for 1,109 pass attempts in two seasons. Washington has the No. 1 passing offense in college football 2022, and the second-best passing offense in 2023.
Fresno State had a top-10 passing offense in both 2020 and 2021.
No college quarterback with Grubb as his offensive coordinator has averaged less than 315 passing yards per game other than Fresno State quarterback Jorge Reyna in 2019.
While that did not continue for the Seahawks, Grubb did help quarterback Geno Smith to his second 4,000-yard season of his career, recording highs in passing yards and completion percentage.
Ryan Grubb quarterbacks are more pro style than dual threats
Traditionally, Grubb quarterbacks have not been dual-threat weapons like Alabama had in 2024 with Jalen Milroe.
In five seasons as a college football offensive coordinator, Grubb has had one quarterback — Reyna in 2019 — that eclipsed 100 yards rushing in a season.
In 2024, Smith had 272 rushing yards — the highest total in Grubb’s six seasons as an offensive coordinator — and two rushing touchdowns for the Seahawks. In comparison, Milroe led the Crimson Tide with 726 rushing yards, 168 carries and 20 rushing touchdowns.
Ryan Grubb quarterbacks take chances in the passing game
With the amount of pass attempts Grubb quarterbacks take, some have ended in interceptions.
Three quarterbacks under Grubb — Reyna in 2019, Penix in 2023 and Smith in 2024 — have ended their respective seasons with 10 interceptions or more.
Penix’s 11 interceptions was the highest total by a quarterback in the Pac-12 in 2023, while Smith’s 15 interceptions were tied with Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions for the third-most in the NFL.
What does Ryan Grubb Alabama football hire mean for Crimson Tide QBs?
Simply put, Grubb develops and coaches gunslinging quarterbacks who define the offense they play for. And at Alabama, Grubb could have three that fit that mold.
While incoming redshirt junior Ty Simpson has three rushing scores and no passing touchdowns as an Alabama quarterback, he had 2,827 passing yards, 867 rushing yards and 52 total touchdowns in 2022 as a senior at Westview High School in Martin, Tennessee.
Incoming redshirt sophomore Austin Mack had nearly 3,500 passing yards and 40 touchdowns as a junior at Folsom High School in Loomis, California.
Incoming five-star freshman quarterback Keelon Russell had more than 3,000 passing yards and nearly 50 touchdowns as a senior at Duncanville High School in Texas.
All three fit the highly-accurate, pass-first mold Grubb generally has in a quarterback. And the battle for which quarterback is next to follow Haener, Penix and Smith under Grubb is about to begin.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him atcgay@gannett.com or follow him@_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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