Would Ryan Grubb be a good fit as Seahawks OC? Huard weighs in

Mike Macdonald is the new head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, and he plans to call the Hawks’ defense in 2024. But who will call the offense? According to multiple reports, Ryan Grubb is a legit possibility.

Report: Seattle Seahawks considering ex-UW coach Ryan Grubb for OC gig

Grubb spent the last two seasons in Seattle, but in the college ranks at the University of Washington. When former UW head coach Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama last month, Grubb wanted to stay at Washington as head coach, but didn’t get the job. Instead, he followed DeBoer to Alabama.

Now, Grubb is reportedly a candidate to jump to the NFL level and return to the Pacific Northwest.

“This is real. This is not just a rumor,” former NFL and UW quarterback Brock Huard said during Friday’s Brock and Salk on Seattle Sports. “He is a real candidate for this job.”

Huard says there are two reasons he thinks Grubb would be a good fit for the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator job.

“This team needs an identity at the offensive line. It needs that mindset at the offensive line,” Huard said. “And that is this dude’s background. And he’s intense now. You went around as I got a chance to do and watch Husky practices and those that have been there, you’re gonna hear Ryan Grubb. He’s gonna get after those guys. And he turned (Troy) Fautanu into a first-round pick, and I think Roger Rosengarten with the work he did (at the Senior Bowl) is probably going to be drafted in the first 50 to 60 picks as well in a super deep offensive line draft. He’s developed guys there at that position and gets the most out of them, which you have to do at the NFL. I love that.”

Additionally, Huard says Grubb has “answers and solutions” as an offensive play-caller.

“We’re gonna line up in this, you’re gonna show me your cards, and then we’re gonna get to that, and I’m gonna have an answer for you. And maybe not a surprise that he’s on this interview list because remember where Mike Macdonald came from,” Huard said. “He came (to Baltimore) from Michigan for a year, still has connections there. And I’m sure he pinged Jim Harbaugh and was like, ‘Hey, Jim, what was it like getting ready for that system?’ … Ask Oregon, ask (defensive coordinator) Tosh Lupoi what it was like to try to defend that group.”

The questions surrounding a potential Grubb hire, Huard said, center around the fact that UW was an extremely pass-heavy team the last two years, with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. leading the country in passing yards each of those seasons.

“Is that because you take your personnel and you put them in the best position for success? And when I’ve got Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan and Ja’Lynn Polk and Michael Penix and two NFL tackles, what do I do with them?” Huard said. “Do I try to run an injured Dillon Johnson the first six weeks of the season? If they had Marshawn Lynch at running back at UW the last couple years, you know what they would do? He’d run for 1,500 yards. Because you put your guys in a position for success.”

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