Kalen DeBoer gets his first disappointment as Alabama’s head coach

Kalen DeBoer suffered his first setback as Alabama’s head coach on Friday night, when it was revealed that offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who followed him to Tuscaloosa from Washington, had accepted the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator position.

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reports that tight ends coach Nick Sheridan and wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard are slated to act as co-offensive coordinators.

Following the retirement of previous head coach Nick Saban, the Tide suffered a significant loss in the transfer portal. According to On3, they rank 70th out of 70 teams in its transfer portal team rankings. Alabama lost 28 five-, four-, and three-star recruits while adding only six.

DeBoer should have understood that defections were probable, but Grubb’s decision was less predictable.

The two have been coaching together for the most of their careers, which began in 2007 when DeBoer was the head coach at Sioux Falls. They previously coached together at Eastern Michigan and Fresno State before spending the last two seasons at Washington.

Despite the exits, sportsbooks still favor Alabama in 2024. According to ESPN Bet, the Tide (+1200) are matched with Oregon for fourth-best odds to win next season’s national championship.

It surely helps that quarterback Jalen Milroe has returned. DeBoer is also an experienced offensive coordinator, having spent the 2019 season at Indiana. Former Indiana quarterback Peyton Ramsey completed 68 percent of his attempts, the greatest percentage in his four seasons as a college quarterback. Penix Jr., then a freshman, completed 110 of 160 passes (68.8 percent) for 1,394 yards (8.7 yards per attempt), 10 touchdowns, and four interceptions.