The Seattle Seahawks have secured their next head coach in Mike Macdonald and now the club seems to be zeroing in on who could help him run the offense. The franchise is considering new Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb for their open OC position, according to 247Sports' John Talty.
The Crimson Tide have yet to announce Grubb's hire, but this report does note that he has been on the road in recent days recruiting for the program. Still, if the NFL truly comes calling with an offer to be the OC in Seattle, that could be too tempting of an offer to turn down.
Grubb just joined Alabama's staff last month under new head coach Kalen DeBoer, whom he followed from Washington. The 47-year-old said he wanted to succeed DeBoer as the next head coach of the Huskies, but the job ultimately went to Jedd Fisch out of Arizona.
Most of Grubb's coaching history has been alongside DeBoer, dating to when they were at Sioux Falls from 2007-09 where he was the offensive line coach. Grubb was his OC at Fresno State as well as Washington and, at the moment, Alabama. Upon arrival in Washington, Grubb led an offense that was among the very best in the nation. In his first season, Washington led the nation in passing offense and on third down.
The duo is coming off a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance where they fell to a Michigan team that was led by Jim Harbaugh, who has since taken the leap to the pros. Given that history, it would be a bit surprising to see Grubb end his tenure with Alabama so quickly, but a prominent NFL job such as this one with the Seahawks would likely give any coach pause.
The Seahawks offense has plenty of pieces that would be attractive to any prospective offensive coordinator, especially at receiver with DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba headlining the position group. Geno Smith has also been serviceable under center, while Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet are a solid running back tandem.
This past season, Seattle averaged 5.5 yards per play (tied for seventh highest in the NFL). Where Grubb could look to improve the unit is in the red zone area as the Seahawks scored touchdowns on just 48.15% of their red zone trips (26th).
