Bama Central

Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb Says Goodbye to Washington Huskies

Could Kalen DeBoer's play-caller be getting ready to follow his former boss to Tuscaloosa?

Christopher Walsh

Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb Says Goodbye to Washington Huskies
Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb Says Goodbye to Washington Huskies /
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A year after he turned down an opportunity to work for Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide, the door appears to be open for Ryan Grubb to follow Kalen DeBoer to Tuscaloosa. 

Saturday evening, hours after DeBoer was formally introduced as as Alabama's 28th head football coach at Bryant-Denny Stadium, DeBoer posted his goodbye to the Washington Huskies on social media. 

He was thought to be a strong candidate to replace DeBoer, and the only likely strong in-house candidate.

"Though I wanted to be, I will not be the net head coach at the University of Washington," he posted. "It would have been a dream to stay here an fight to maintain the standard that had been reestablished."

It should be noted that Washington hired a new athletic director last October, Troy Dannen, who had previously had the same role at Tulane. During his time there the football program had a dramatic rise and enjoyed a win over USC in the Cotton Bowl. But both DeBoer and Grubb were already in place before Dannen was hired. 

Additionally, the last time Washington promoted from within was Jimmy Lake after Chris Peterson's resignation. He was the head coach for just 13 games over a rocky two seasons.  

Grubb was credited with turning Michael Penix Jr. into a Heisman Trophy candidate. He could have the chance to work with Jalen Milroe in Tuscaloosa, who made it clear that he's not leaving the Crimson Tide following the coaching change.

DeBoer has yet to name anyone to his coaching staff at Alabama. 

Meanwhile, FootballScoop reported that Jerrett McElwain, Washington's Director of Scouting, is expected to join the new staff. If the name he looks familiar, Alabama is his alma mater. He's the son of former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator, and current Central Michigan head coach, Jim McElwain. He'd worked closely with Courtney Morgan, who is already in Tuscaloosa after flying in with DeBoer on Friday night.  

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Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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