Everything Ryan Grubb Said to Kick Off Florida State Week

Full transcript and press conference video from Alabama's offensive coordinator ahead of his first game with the Crimson Tide.

Ryan Grubb press conference | BamaCentral

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb spoke to the media Monday morning ahead of the Crimson Tide's season opener against Florida State.

Grubb touched on his message to new quarterback Ty Simpson, how he feels about the running backs without Jam Miller, the status of the offensive line and more. You can check out the full transcript below.

Full Transcript

What is his message to Ty Simpson ahead of first start?

"Just play ball. I think that Ty plays his best when he stays calm and collected just like any quarterback. I think as long as he stays within himself and doesn't try to make each play bigger than it is, he'll be just fine."

On being the only assistant in the booth...

"I mean, I've got other guys up there with me. It's pretty much the same setup I've done. I've got guys, Mitch Dahlen's up there, he's been with me for five years up in the box so he's got a good set of eyes. Tyler Hughes was with us in Washington, veteran coach as well. Feel like it's pretty much the same setup."

What is his message to the running backs without Jam Miller?

"I think they've really embraced the next-man-up mentality. Exactly what you'd expect from a couple guys that have been here at Alabama for a couple of years. I don't think there's necessarily anything that's earth-shattering that they're doing, but they're excited about the opportunity."

On his preparation for new FSU defensive coordinator, transfers...

"I think that I've been through this process a couple different times, different stops. Certainly there's a lot of moving parts there. Coach White's a great coach, he's been at a lot of different places. Veteran guy, has a lot of presence with his guys. Certainly he's creative with his play calling, so you've got to dig. You got to go back to Syracuse, you've got to go all the way back, make sure you check everything out and try to realize how they'd utilize different people and personnel sets, put people in different spots. See the structure and the history of the defense and how it applies to the people we have now. You put together the best picture you can for the guys. Prepare them and understand you've got to have plays that can win versus multiple fronts and multiple coverages.

On value of having experienced center (Parker Brailsford) when opening in road environment...

"It’s everything. Honestly I think he brings calm to not only the offensive line unit, but just the guys that are looking to have more playing time, potentially, then they had in the past, including Ty. And just for the coaching staff, just understanding that there’s a guy there that’s going to be able to calm the waters is really, really valuable."

When was the last time you had a quarterback making his first start on the road? What do you do to get a QB ready?

"Let’s see, Jorge Reyna in ‘19, Fresno State went down to (Southern Cal). He played a good football game. Didn’t end up going our way but I though, for the first time starting, he played well. It was the same message. I’ve had a couple guys besides Jorge. You just gotta get the guy playing his game. You don’t have to push him to different throws that are outside of it, you just want him to get in and play within the structure of the offense and let the plays come to him, instead of him trying to have to manufacture everything. Because, I think you just tell quarterbacks, there’s gonna be plays where off-platform throws, plays that aren’t scripted that way, he’s going to have to make a play. So we try to create an environment where there’s enough structure for him to make the plays that are available and not make the easy ones look hard."

How have the players responded to crowd noise in practice?

"They’ve done a great job. We’ve put a lot of work into it in the last two-and-a-half weeks now, just working on the sound part. Obviously, those things always take time, and they’ve worked really hard. I think, just like anything when we first started, it wasn’t perfect, and now we’re doing it in all our walkthroughs. We’re doing it every practice, so they’ll be ready for it."

What has he seen from Geno VanDeMark at right guard, and how does he feel about OL as whole?

"I’m confident. I think that they’re in a good spot. There’s a lot of starts with the guys that are out there on the field. Obviously, Wilkin’s the guy that has the least playing experience, but the guys on the inside next to Parker– Geno, (Kam Dewberry), those guys have been there, done that. So I think that there’s a calmness there that helps on the inside, and they can get Parker as the guy who can really bring it all together. There’s guys that gotta be amped up and there's guys that gotta be brought back down, and he can keep it level."