Adam Schefter reveals timeline behind Ryan Grubb hire with Seattle Seahawks

Ryan Grubb turned heads last week when he accepted an offer to be the Seattle Seahawks’ next head coach. Grubb was previously expected to follow head coach Kalen DeBoer to Alabama.

Grubb even introduced himself as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator at a speaking event on National Signing Day. Despite expectations, ESPN’s Adam Schefter claims Grubb was always likely to end up with Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald.

“The day that Mike Macdonald was hired, I heard Ryan Grubb was gonna be his offensive coordinator,” Schefter said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “That name had been linked to Mike Macdonald right away. In fact, I was told right away that he was getting the job. And I remember asking some people [and they were] like, ‘Whoa, hold on. Hold on. That’s not happening right now.’

“They went out and they talked to some other people. They had to go through the process. They wanted to see what they wanted to do. But, I think that he was in their sights from the moment they hired Mike Macdonald.”

Grubb certainly boasts an impressive résumé. This past season, Grubb was the offensive coordinator at Washington. The Huskies, led by Heisman Trophy finalist Michael Penix Jr., ranked 13th in the nation with 36 points per game and 12th in the FBS with 462.1 yards on average.

Adam Schefter never doubted where Ryan Grubb would land

Most of the team’s production came in the passing game with a unit that ranked No. 2 with 343.7 yards per game, just behind conference foe Oregon. Schefter believes Macdonald wanted Grubb on his staff from the moment he was hired.

“I would imagine that when Mike met with the Seahawks’ brass, that he presented that name to them, and that they knew that he was one of the possibilities that when he took over, if he took over, which he did, that he would be able to go get Ryan Grubb and bring him with him,” Schefter said.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that Macdonald was offering Grubb a position in the same city he had lived in for the past three years. Nonetheless, Schefter believes Grubb would have followed Macdonald anywhere in the NFL.

“He would have been in play anywhere with Mike Macdonald.”

This will be Grubb’s first step into NFL waters. He has previously stuck by DeBoer’s side, not only at Washington but also at Fresno State and Sioux Falls. Now, Grubb will have a chance to test his skills on the biggest stage in football.