TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb apologized Monday evening for comments he made that morning about fans who booed the team early in Saturday’s 50-36 win over Florida State at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Grubb issued the apology through the X account of Yea Alabama, the school’s official NIL entity, and addressed it to the “CRIMSON TIDE FAITHFUL.” During his Monday morning availability in Tuscaloosa, he had talked about the start against the Seminoles, when Alabama’s offense went three-and-out on each of its first two possessions.
Alabama then scored on each of its next nine possessions. Grubb credited his players for not quitting after the slow start, and he told reporters he had passed along a message to them about the boos.
“They just didn’t have any quit,” Grubb said. “They’re a really resilient group. I’m super proud of that. We had, I would say — I had some boobirds. I told the guys, I said, ‘Shoot, guys, if you would have quit as fast as some of your fans, s—, we wouldn’t have won that game.’”
Ryan Grubb’s Statement Through Yea Alabama
Several hours after the availability, the statement went up on Yea Alabama’s account. In it, Grubb wrote that he normally speaks directly and that he should have chosen his words more carefully.
“My passion for The University of Alabama football team runs deep…my commitment to this program is rivaled only by my brothers who I lock arms with every day,” Grubb wrote. “I will always back my players…always. I normally speak very directly and don’t cut words. That said — I should have worded my statement today more carefully.”
“This is a special place with an incredible fanbase that all of us are thankful for. I have been spoiled by our great fans who are a sense of inspiration for our players,” Grubb continued. “I let my loyalty and passion for my players affect my choice of words and offend some people that I certainly would have never intended to — the Crimson Tide faithful — and for that I apologize.”
“I look forward to moving on and giving everyone something to cheer about! It’s a blessing to be here at Alabama,” Grubb added. “I truly appreciate everyone and am looking forward to a great Saturday. Again, my sincere apologies…and ROLL TIDE!!!”
Before Alabama, Grubb was offensive coordinator for Kalen DeBoer at Washington, where the Huskies played for the national championship after the 2023 season. He spent 2024 as offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks.
Kalen DeBoer Wants Alabama To Start Faster
Saturday was the second straight game in which Alabama’s offense started slowly. A week earlier at Kentucky, quarterback Keelon Russell turned the ball over three times in the first half, including an interception returned for a touchdown, and the Crimson Tide trailed 17-13 at halftime before winning 45-17.
Russell grew up in South Dallas and played at Duncanville High School, where he was the 2024 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year. He originally committed to SMU before signing with Alabama.
The two deficits came about in different ways. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said after the win over Florida State that the fix was the same either way.
“We obviously got to start faster,” DeBoer said. “Two games in a row now where we find ourselves behind. Probably different scenarios on how that happened, but nonetheless, we got to do a better job of coming out of the gates.”
DeBoer said penalties and missed assignments were behind the slow starts. He wanted the physicality Alabama played with over the final 2½ quarters from the opening snap.
“You’ve got to be sharp,” DeBoer explained. “You’ve got to be locked in. Can’t have the foolish penalty or just the lack of execution. Get your pads on a guy and finish the block. Go out there and have the physicality that we showed the last 2½ quarters.”
“So, there’s a lot of things that our guys will take and build from, and there’s a lot of things that we’ll look at and be upset about,” DeBoer continued. “And I’m confident in this group that they’ll get back to work and never take it for granted. These guys are resilient in a lot of ways, but they’re also very competitive, and I saw that tonight again.”
Alabama moved from No. 10 to No. 8 in Sunday’s Associated Press poll. The Crimson Tide (3-0) host unranked South Carolina (2-1) on Saturday. South Carolina is coming off a 41-34 home loss to Mississippi State, which rallied from a 16-0 deficit.
