Just a few weeks after moving from Washington to the Alabama Crimson Tide with new head coach Kalen DeBoer as offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb is set to depart for the NFL and join the Seattle Seahawks in the same position.
Who will lead Alabama’s offense and what might DeBoer be looking for in a potential replacement? Here are five candidates to replace Ryan Grubb as Alabama’s offensive coordinator.
Candidates To Replace Ryan Grubb
It’s not ideal to have to replace a coordinator this late in the process, but that’s what DeBoer will be tasked with doing. He may look for familiarity over resume, but there’s always a chance he will flash the Alabama brand and lure a veteran coach with heavy SEC ties.
There’s also the strong chance that DeBoer opts for co-offensive coordinators and at this moment, that might be the way he’s leaning.
JaMarcus Shephard: Wide Receivers Coach, Alabama
Shephard followed DeBoer from Washington, where he coached wide receivers and held the titles of passing game coordinator and assistant head coach. If Grubb was DeBoer’s right-hand man, Shephard was a close second.
He has experience as a co-offensive coordinator at Purdue from 2018 to 2021 before moving to Washington when DeBoer was hired. The bulk of his coaching experience is at the receiver position but also had a season as the special teams coordinator at Western Kentucky in 2015, where he was able to work with the entire team.
At this juncture, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call Shephard the favorite, perhaps with this next guy as a co-offensive coordinator.
Nick Sheridan: Tight Ends Coach, Alabama
A former walk-on quarterback at Michigan, Nick Sheridan has been Kalen DeBoer’s tight ends coach since 2021 and followed him from Washington along with Shephard. Sheridan coached in the SEC earlier in his career and has connections to the South Florida area from his time as passing game coordinator at USF, a recruiting hotbed for SEC teams.
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At this juncture, a Sheridan-Shephard combination offense seems to be the most likely future for DeBoer’s Crimson Tide.
Gerad Parker: Head Coach, Troy
DeBoer has already shown he isn’t afraid to approach a sitting head coach for one of his coordinator positions. Gerard Parker was just hired at Troy last month, but he came from Notre Dame where he was offensive coordinator following Tommy Rees’ departure for Alabama.
Parker is a guy who is well-respected in the industry and has connections all around the country and has plenty of experience running an offense. It’s unlikely he’d leave his post as head coach, but if it’s about money, Alabama can pay him more than his salary at Troy.
Tommy Rees: Tight Ends Coach, Cleveland Browns
Tommy Rees was Alabama’s last offensive coordinator under Nick Saban and left to join the Cleveland Browns following DeBoer’s decision not to retain him upon taking the offensive coordinator position.
Rees has familiarity with the players on the offense and some of the staff and could provide a great short-term bridge in 2024. He has the play calling experience to be a long-term solution as well, if that’s the direction DeBoer decides to go.
Kirby Moore: Offensive Coordinator, Missouri
Kirby Moore coached with DeBoer at Fresno State, taking on a passing game coordinator title and coaching receivers with the Bulldogs. Since, though, he’s moved to the SEC to coach quarterbacks and run the offense at Missouri and that unit immediately became better upon his arrival.
Moore’s ability to coach multiple positions and familiarity with both DeBoer in the SEC would be regarded as major bonuses when considering a potential replacement for Grubb.
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