Ryan Grubb explains why he met with Alabama about coordinator job
Ryan Grubb went on local Seattle radio Wednesday to talk about his recent courtship by Alabama.
The Washington offensive coordinator took a visit to Tuscaloosa to meet with Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban about the program’s vacant O.C. job. He was believed to be a top target of Saban’s but ultimately elected to remain at Washington with second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer.
Grubb, in speaking with Dave Mahler on 93.3 KJR Wednesday, said he went to Tuscaloosa to “see what they had to offer.” Before he left, he asked DeBoer and UW athletic director Jen Cohen to trust him.
He went on to say that while he appreciated the opportunity to talk with Saban, he felt it would have been “wildly out of my character” to leave Washington after the Huskies had wrapped up their 2023 signing class.
Grubb also turned down reported interest from Texas A&M this offseason. For the show of loyalty, he was rewarded with a contract extension and a sizeable raise.
Grubb says he went down to Tuscaloosa to "see what they had to offer." Also says he asked Cohen and DeBoer to trust him before he went down there.
Strong implication that he had planned on coming back to UW even before he visited Tuscaloosa
— Dave “Softy” Mahler (@Softykjr) February 15, 2023
On with @Softykjr on @933KJR, Washington OC Ryan Grubb says he appreciated opportunity to speak with Alabama, but ultimately felt it would have been "wildly out of my character" to leave UW after being so involved in pitching offensive players on returning in 2023.
— Christian Caple (@ChristianCaple) February 15, 2023
Was the decision to check out Alabama simply just a bit of recon? Maybe Washington has really just become that special to Grubb in his brief time with the program so far.
Grubb and the Huskies had a nation-leading passing attack in 2022, and most of those pieces return in 2023. UW has its eyes on titles in DeBoer’s second year, and Grubb is a big part of that. Though he’s made clear he wants to become a head coach, UW seems to be a place worth sticking around at.
“My initial emotional response to being here (in January of 2022) was that this place could be unbelievably special, not knowing really anything about Washington,” Grubb said shortly after his extension was announced. “Now, going through a full year of it and seeing the support of the community and the kids that are in this program, this place is incredibly special. So I’m excited to be here.”