Why Alabama OC went back to booth against Oklahoma

The Crimson Tide managed to secure a 34-24 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the College Football Playoffs on Friday, and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb’s location was noticeably different.

Earlier in the season, Grubb made the switch to on-field play-calling, rather than from the booth. It was an interesting time to make the change back, but one that he felt was necessary.

“Coach [JaMarcus] Shephard is obviously out at Oregon State now,” Grubb said. “And Tyler Hughes, one of our senior analysts, was coaching the receivers; that’s a big job on the sideline, getting the right guys in the game. So, with his eyes not up in the box for me, and coach [Mitch] Dahlen wasn’t here, he’s been at Oregon State, so, haven’t had him all week. So… just to be accurate and make sure I got the things I needed from the sky, and normally I have a couple guys up there to give me information, we were really good about that, but didn’t have that exact scenario. So, just felt like it was the prudent thing to do; be up there and make sure I got good pictures.”

Shepherd, formerly the wide receiver coach for the Tide before taking the head coaching job at Oregon State, was present for the SEC Championship game, but was unavailable in Norman.

Due to Shephard’s absence, Hughes has been stepping into the wide receiver coach role, alongside head coach Kalen DeBoer at times, too.

Hughes’ career has gone relatively under-the-radar; he got his start as an offensive coordinator at a high school in Utah, before returning to his alma mater, Snow College, for nine years, split as wide receiver/tight end coach and offensive coordinator/quarterback coach.

Nine years later, with one year spent as a quality control assistant with Ohio State, he made his way to the New England Patriots as an offensive assistant. After a year, he took the same role at Washington for a year under DeBoer and Grubb, then returned for a year to New England.

That is when Hughes ultimately made his way to Tuscaloosa, where he’s become a key contributor on the offensive staff, particularly as he’s taken over work with the receivers.

Although the Tide has already found its long-term replacement for Shephard, the hopes are that the receivers, with the help of Hughes, can keep a trend of impressive performances when it faces the Indiana Hoosiers in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.