Huskies Order Up Some Good Grubb, Who's Ranked Among Top QB Coaches
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You're an aspiring college football quarterback and you want the best possible position coaching situation made available, one that can possibly lead to an NFL career.
A year ago, that wasn't the University of Washington.
John Donovan, the Husky offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, oversaw an offense that simply didn't work and he was abruptly fired with three games left on the schedule, just 13 outings over two years.
His veteran quarterback, Dylan Morris, led the Pac-12 in interceptions with a dozen. Concern mounted that the UW understudy, Sam Huard, wasn't getting properly developed.
Previously fired by Penn State, Donovan left Seattle with a professional reputation so severely tarnished he's now a quality coach for the Green Bay Packers — on defense.
Enter Ryan Grubb, a notable Husky coaching upgrade.
If you were buying a car, you just went from a basic, stripped-down model to one with all of the extras. His creativity and productivity is well recognized as Kalen DeBoer's offensive go-to guy.
Largely based on his past three seasons of work at Fresno State, the Iowa native last week received accolades as the nation's 26th-best OC. This week, Oklahoma-based list-maker Big Game Boomer elevated Grubb even higher, choosing him a lofty seventh among all quarterback coaches.
Entering spring practice, this new UW offensive leader, formerly an offensive-line coach at multiple collegiate stops, was asked where he would spend most of his time with the Huskies.
"Quarterback, yep," Grubb said. "I'll be in their hip pocket."
In this latest popularity contest, Grubb trails only Oklahoma's Jeff Lebby, Texas Tech's Zach Kittley, Wake Forest's Warren Ruggiero, Notre Dame's Tommy Rees, Colorado State's Matt Mumme and Coastal Carolina's Willy Korn.
Notice this particular coaching breakdown makes Grubb the foremost quarterback guru in the Pac-12. His closest conference peer is Oregon's Kenny Dillingham at No. 12.
Imagine that: the Huskies supposedly have gone from worst to first in the Pac-12.
Grubb's work in turning former Husky quarterback Jake Haener into a two-year Fresno State starter who threw for 4,096 yards and 33 touchdowns last season and beat UCLA with a last second-rally on national TV is particularly noteworthy.
Slotted between Grubb and Dillingham, at 8 through 11, are position coaches at a number of schools often considered quarterback friendly in Georgia's Todd Monken, North Carolina State's Tim Beck, Ohio State's Corey Dennis and BYU's Aaron Roderick.
Grubb now needs a season in Seattle to back up everything said about him, really show what he can do and make the UW a popular quarterback destination. Reputation, of course, is everything.
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