UW passes on Grubb; OC expected to join Bama
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Paolo Uggetti, ESPN
Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb will not be the Huskies’ next football coach, he announced on social media Saturday night.
Grubb, sources told ESPN’s Chris Low, is now expected to join former Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer at Alabama as its new offensive coordinator.
“Though I wanted to be, I will not be the next head coach at the University of Washington,” Grubb said. “With tears in my eyes, I know my last day in Husky Stadium has come.”
Along with Grubb, sources told Low that Washington receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard, tight ends coach Nick Sheridan, offensive line coach Scott Huff, director of scouting Jerret McElwain and Huskies general manager Courtney Morgan are following DeBoer to Alabama.
Grubb orchestrated the Huskies’ top-ranked offense for the past two seasons.
He has been coaching alongside DeBoer since their early days at the University of Sioux Falls, where Grubb was the Cougars’ offensive line coach from 2007 to 2009 under DeBoer and the school’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2010 to 2013.
The two reunited in 2014 at Eastern Michigan — Grubb as offensive line coach and DeBoer as offensive coordinator — and at Fresno State during the 2017-18 season and the 2020-21 campaign. When DeBoer took the top job at Washington in 2022, following a one-year head-coaching stint with the Bulldogs, Grubb was his choice to be the team’s offensive coordinator and assistant head coach.
Any doubt that Grubb was once again going to follow DeBoer was only clouded by the possibility that Grubb could be retained to lead the Huskies into the Big Ten. That’s longer the case.
Grubb interviewed with Nick Saban for Alabama’s offensive coordinator job last year before deciding to remain at Washington.
On Saturday, DeBoer, who has a 104-12 head-coaching record, was formally introduced as the Crimson Tide’s new coach. He said he understood that his experience in the SEC was limited and that “there needs to be some SEC ties [on staff] that can bridge the gap.”
No assistant hires have been made for DeBoer’s staff. Alabama cornerbacks coach Travaris Robinson was hired by Georgia this week to be the Bulldogs’ co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
Shephard interviewed via Zoom last week with Saban for the Alabama receivers job, and McElwain is an Alabama graduate who worked under Saban out of college. His father, Central Michigan coach Jim McElwain, was the former offensive coordinator under Saban on Alabama’s 2009 and 2011 national championship teams.
Following DeBoer’s departure, Washington president Ana Mari Cauce said the school would be focused on finding a replacement “who can build on these successes as we enter the Big Ten and ensure the long-term excellence of our program.”
“We have one of the best head-coaching jobs in all of college football,” Washington athletic director Troy Dannen said. “Our search for a new head coach is underway, and I am excited about what comes next for Husky football.”
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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.
Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.
O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.
Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.
In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.
Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.
Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.
The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.
LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.
Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
No. 12 Georgia will be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne for Saturday’s showdown against No. 7 Tennessee.
Etienne was downgraded from questionable to out on Thursday night’s SEC availability report.
Etienne left Georgia’s win over Florida with an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 and did not return. He played limited snaps in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, carrying the ball six times for 24 yards.
Etienne leads the Bulldogs with 477 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.
The loss is another blow to Georgia’s banged-up backfield. Cash Jones is also listed as questionable while Branson Robinson remains out after missing the past three games with a knee injury.
That leaves true freshman Nate Frazier as the only healthy Bulldogs running back who has played meaningful snaps this year. Frazier is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
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