Why Ryan Grubb Would Be 'Right Person' for Seahawks Offensive Coordinator

Though he has never coached in the NFL in any capacity, Ryan Grubb has been a roaring success in every role he has held at the college level and has shown the adaptability necessary to suggest he can make the jump to the pros with the Seattle Seahawks.

As new head coach Mike Macdonald begins building his first coaching staff with the Seattle Seahawks, including hiring Leslie Frazier as assistant head coach, reports have been flying on social media about potential candidates to take over as offensive coordinator.

While many would expect a first-time head coach like Macdonald to prefer an experienced NFL offensive coordinator, however, that doesn't look to be a top priority. In fact, the coach indicated in his introductory press conference on Thursday that experience wouldn't be "near the top of the list" in the hiring process.

"We're looking for the right person to come in here and build this thing," Macdonald told reporters. "So we want somebody that's open-minded, that has a growth mindset, that can connect with their players, and build a system that's unique to the Seattle Seahawks that's going to live here for a long time and who's going to be the one spearheading it."

If it sounds like Macdonald isn't interested in a retread offensive coordinator who has bounced around with several franchises, well, he isn't. As general manager John Schneider did himself in hiring Macdonald, he looks to be in pursuit for his own "market changer" who can bring in fresh ideas and concepts and build strong relationships with players on the offensive side of the ball.

Successful everywhere he has been in college football, Ryan Grubb may finally be ready to make the jump to the NFL with several teams looking into him as an offensive coordinator candidate

Based on that set of criteria, it shouldn't be surprising former Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has emerged as a viable candidate to return to Seattle and take over play calling duties for the Seahawks. The 47-year old recently accepted the offensive coordinator role at Alabama to stay on Kalen Deboer's staff, but per multiple sources, he has strong interest in jumping to the next level on Macdonald's staff.

For those who have a glass half empty mindset, hiring Grubb would be a major roll of the dice for a first-time head coach for a number of reasons. For one, he has never coached in the league in any capacity, which always generates a red flag, and he only has two seasons of experience coaching at a Power Five program in the college ranks. Some would have serious questions about his readiness to coach against NFL talent.

But digging deeper into Grubb's resume, aside from the dearth of actual NFL coaching experience, there's plenty of reasons to believe he would be an excellent fit on Macdonald's staff, starting with his diverse coaching background coaching multiple positions on the offensive side of the football.

After two seasons as an assistant at South Dakota State, Grubb joined Deboer at NAIA program Sioux Falls as an offensive line coach and run game coordinator in 2007, helping them capture a pair of national championships. Once Deboer left, he took over as the Cougars offensive coordinator, leading the team to a third-ranked scoring offense in 2010.

Stepping up to Division I in 2014, Grubb once again teamed up with Deboer at Eastern Michigan, joining the Eagles as their new offensive line coach. In his third and final season with the program in 2016, they finished with the eighth-fewest sacks allowed in the entire FBS level and scored a then-school record 385 points. They also rushed for 2,068 yards, the seventh-most in a single season in program history.

Turning his success in Ypsilanti into an opportunity at Fresno State, Grubb wore many hats in his five seasons with the program, including serving as an offensive line coach and run coordinator from 2017 to 2018. With all five starting linemen earning All-Mountain West honors, the Bulldogs gave up just 12 sacks and finished sixth in the entire country in sacks allowed per game in 2018, leading to a promotion to offensive coordinator the following season.

At the controls as a play caller at the FBS level for the first time, Grubb found immense success with quarterback Jake Haener under center. Along with finishing fifth in the country in passing yards per game in 2020, the Bulldogs ranked second in passing offense, 14th in total offense, and 26th in scoring in the nation in 2021.

Most recently, Grubb put his name on the radar for NFL teams by transforming Washington's offense into one of college football's most explosive units. Integral in the development of quarterback Michael Penix into a Heisman Trophy finalist, his Huskies led the nation in passing offense with nearly 370 passing yards per game in 2022 and finished second in total offense. They also gave up the second fewest sacks in the country, showcasing his ability to coach up pass protection.

This past season, the Huskies again lit up the skies with Penix and a talented group of pass catchers, finishing second in passing offense, 10th in passing touchdowns per game, and third in passing first downs per game. Going undefeated in Pac-12 play, they advanced to the National Championship game before, ironically, losing to Michigan, which was running a Macdonald-style defensive scheme.

If Grubb makes the jump to the NFL as a first-time play caller, as Macdonald will have to do moving from a defensive coordinator position to head coach, he will have to be able to make adjustments on the fly dealing with new challenges. For one, he won't be able to live in shotgun north of 80 percent of the time as he did with Penix at Washington and will have to be far more adaptable and complex scheming against NFL defenses, particularly when it comes to passing game concepts.

But for those questioning whether or not Grubb can make such adjustments, his track record suggests that shouldn't be a problem. At Sioux Falls, he coordinated one of the most dynamic rushing attacks at the NAIA level with more of an under center emphasis, and his extensive experience as a run game coordinator at multiple levels in college football will serve him well as a coordinator in the league.

There's also plenty of aspects of Grubb's offense that should translate well to the pro game. With him calling the shots against top-tier Pac-12 competition, the Huskies were masterful utilizing pre-snap motion to create coverage mismatches as well as muck up run fits, which has become a vital part of modern NFL offenses. His vast experience as an offensive line coach will also be a major asset protecting the quarterback and dialing up calls to deal with blitz and stunt schemes.

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Based off of the public outcry when Grubb didn't even receive consideration for Washington's head coaching job following Deboer's departure for Alabama, he also clearly checks off one of Macdonald's boxes as a respected coach who players want to play for and have a strong connection with.

As a college football lifer who hasn't coached in the NFL before, Grubb's candidacy as a prospective offensive coordinator will continue to be viewed with skepticism by some within Seattle's fan base. To an extent, that incredulity is understandable, as hiring someone else who has been a coordinator in the league like Frank Reich or Eric Bieniemy would clearly be the safer play.

But as evidenced by Schneider's decision to tab Macdonald as the Seahawks next head coach, the organization isn't interested in playing it safe. They want to compete for NFC West titles and Super Bowls and they are banking on innovative football minds to get them back to the ranks of the NFL's elite. Thriving everywhere he has been at the college level in multiple roles, Grubb fits that bill and would be another leap of faith hire with the potential for far greater upside than an also-ran calling plays.