Ryan Grubb arrived at Alabama with the kind of buzz that usually follows the final missing piece. Kalen DeBoer brought him in last offseason, and plenty of Crimson Tide fans figured the offense was about to get the jolt it needed after the previous year’s uneven play-calling under Nick Sheridan.
That didn’t happen. Without Jalen Milroe’s running ability, Alabama’s offense lost its balance in a hurry. The rushing attack fell apart, and by the time the postseason rolled around, the Tide were far too one-dimensional to hang with teams like Georgia and Indiana.
Still, Grubb’s Alabama story isn’t finished. He’s back for a second season as the offensive coordinator, and there’s a path for him to move up this ranking if he can get things sorted out in 2026.
For now, though, he has a long way to go.
Here’s where he lands among Alabama’s offensive coordinators in the 21st century:
- Steve Sarkisian (2019-2020)
Sarkisian came to Tuscaloosa with baggage from his time in college and later as the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator, so the hire drew plenty of skepticism. Saban got it right.
In 2020, Sarkisian ran an offense that was flat-out historic, helping Alabama finish undefeated and win the national championship. That team has a real argument as the best in college football history.
- Jim McElwain (2008-2011)
McElwain is the only Alabama offensive coordinator this century to call plays for more than one national title team. He stepped in for Saban’s second season in 2008 and was part of title runs in 2009 and 2011.
That stretch was built around defense, and McElwain’s offense was asked to do something simple and vital: keep the machine moving and stay out of trouble. More often than not, it did exactly that.
- Lane Kiffin (2014-2016)
This one may ruffle some feathers in Tuscaloosa, but Kiffin’s impact was undeniable. Saban hired him to modernize the offense, and that’s exactly what happened. Alabama became one of the country’s most dangerous offenses under his watch, and his flexibility with Derrick Henry in 2015 helped deliver a national title.
The downside came in 2016, when his inability to act like an adult likely cost Alabama a shot at another championship. Even so, the Tide still captured three straight SEC titles during his run.
- Brian Daboll (2017)
Daboll’s one season at Alabama came with some real limitations, mostly because Saban was slow to fully turn the offense over from Jalen Hurts to Tua Tagovailoa. By that point, the entire program understood Tagovailoa had the higher ceiling.
When Saban finally unleashed Tua in the second half of the national title game against Georgia, it produced the most famous play in Alabama history.
- Mike Locksley (2018)
Locksley was listed as co-offensive coordinator in 2017, but 2018 was his true season calling the shots. The offense was record-setting, with Tua Tagovailoa leading a loaded group of receivers - Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith, Henry Ruggs, and Jaylen Waddle.
His ranking would be higher if not for the collapse against Clemson in the national title game.
- Doug Nussmeier (2012-2013)
Nussmeier was dismissed after the 2013 season as Saban looked to move beyond an outdated offensive system. He wasn’t especially popular during his time in Tuscaloosa, but he was still the coordinator for Alabama’s 2012 national championship team, and that matters.
- Tommy Rees (2023)
Rees is one of the more underrated assistants from the Saban years. He didn’t get nearly enough credit for the work he did with Milroe and the offense in his lone season as coordinator. With the way the Tide have struggled on that side of the ball over the last two years, his year looks better every time it gets revisited.
- Les Koenning (2001-2002)
Koenning isn’t a name every Alabama fan will remember right away, but his work under Dennis Franchione deserves respect. He inherited an offense that had bottomed out at 3-8 in 2000 and helped guide Alabama to a 7-5 record in 2001 before a 10-win season in 2002. The momentum ended when Franchione left for College Station.
- Bill O'Brien (2021-2022)
O'Brien’s Alabama run was a case of doing less with more. His approach often boiled down to “Bryce Young, please save us”, and while that worked enough to keep things afloat, there wasn’t much of a backup plan when the offense bogged down.
And the 2022 Jahmyr Gibbs usage still stands out. He should have been treated like Derrick Henry.
- Nick Sheridan (2024)
Sheridan drew plenty of blame for Alabama’s offense in 2024, but the truth is the unit was better under him than it was under Grubb. Sheridan handled the demotion professionally, stayed on for another season as Alabama’s quarterback coach, and then moved on to become Michigan State’s offensive coordinator.
- Ryan Grubb (2025)
Maybe that feels too low. But Grubb was behind one of the worst rushing offenses in Alabama history. The Tide still reached the College Football Playoff because of a strong defense and Ty Simpson’s brilliance, but the offense’s lack of balance came back to bite them when it mattered most.
He has a chance to move up fast, but the climb is steep.
- Major Applewhite (2007)
Applewhite was Saban’s first offensive coordinator at Alabama, but he lasted only one season before Jim McElwain took over the play-calling duties in 2008.
The offense showed some early promise, matching the team’s 6-2 start before fading badly late.
- Neil Callaway (2000)
Callaway served as offensive coordinator from 1998 to 2000 under Mike DuBose, but only the 2000 season counts for this list. That year came on the heels of Alabama’s 1999 SEC Championship, and it went sideways fast. Without Shaun Alexander in the backfield, the Tide slumped to 3-8.
- Dave Rader (2003-2006)
Rader’s years came during the Mike Shula era, and the offense often felt like a bad loop: two runs up the middle, then a sack.
He left coaching in 2010 and later moved into politics. He is now a state senator in Oklahoma.
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Finebaum went so far as to compare DeBoers run to Mike Shulas time in Tuscaloosa, a reminder of how quickly Alabamas standard gets measured against past eras when the intimidation factor slips. The concern is not simply whether DeBoer can keep the Tide competitive, but whether opponents still walk into games fearing Alabama the way they used to, especially after the lopsided postseason losses that have fed the perception shift. [Read more 🡒]