Kalen DeBoer talks staff changes, implementing offense at Alabama

New Alabama football head coach Kalen DeBoer’s staff has seen a bit of flux over the past weeks. Assistants have come and gone on both sides of the ball, but the biggest change came when offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb took the same job with the Seattle Seahawks.

On Tuesday, during a guest appearance on Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic’s radio show on WJOX, DeBoer spoke of his offensive system, and preparing for a world where Grubb was gone.

“Our offense and the system has really been built up over many years,” DeBoer said. “I called it for 20 years, from 2000 to 2018 and had a great opportunity with Ryan Grubb, who was with me for a lot of those years from 2007 until then, to really hand it over and felt like, taking over as a head coach, that was the right thing to do. He was someone who I really trusted and obviously that worked out over the last four years at Fresno State and Washington.

“I think though, that you know that time is coming where other opportunities are coming. I couldn’t be happier for Ryan and the chance to be with the Seahawks there. He’s gonna do a great job.”

DeBoer looked internally for Grubb’s replacement. He reportedly found it in Nick Sheridan, who had been working as the Crimson Tide’s tight ends coach.

Sheridan worked under DeBoer at Indiana in 2019, and served as the Hoosier offensive coordinator after DeBoer’s departure. He then worked for Alabama’s new head coach at Washington.

JaMarcus Shephard, the Tide’s new wide receivers coach, also picked reportedly picked up a co-offensive coordinator title in the transition. During his Tuesday WJOX appearance, DeBoer discussed both coaches.

“A guy like Nick Sheridan, JaMarcus Shephard, guys that have been with me the last two years,” DeBoer said. “And Nick being with me back in 2019, he ran the offense then after I left indiana, so he’s been a part of it for five years. And these guys are just such gifted football coaches, amazing people. And we’ll keep that system, what we see, and I think every year it’s a little bit different based on your personnel.

“Who we had at Washington and who we had at Fresno State, you go back through the years and it’s been different every place. It’s got that flexibility to be able to adjust around the personnel we have and we have extremely smart people here in the building that will continue to build on what’s already been established.”

And DeBoer himself will remain involved as the staff implements the offense in Tuscaloosa.

“I’m in and around it, I can’t help but always know what’s going on,” DeBoer said. “I do want them to make it there as we go through it, but I’m certainly involved and have a deep passion for making sure (of) what’s happening on the football field.”