Ryan Grubb didn’t see Austin Mack last season, but he got him as a freshman at Washington in 2023.
Alabama’s first-year offensive coordinator took a brief detour in the NFL before returning to the college game. Grubb turned down Alabama prior to the 2023 season to remain with Kalen DeBoer in Seattle. That year, he worked with Michael Penix Jr. to shred coverages week in and week out, but he also worked with a young Mack to help him transition from the high school game to the college game.
After a year with the Seattle Seahawks, Grubb rejoined DeBoer’s staff and reunited with Mack. And, during a radio appearance this week on Tide 100.9, Grubb said he sees some of the same things when Mack throws that he saw working with professional passers.
“When he’s on, and he’s pushing the ball where it’s supposed to go, I told him — and I mean it — if you went out to an NFL game and you watch some guys throw before the game, you’re like, that’s what they look like,” Grubb said. “And that’s how Austin is. We’ve got to get the other part all rectified, as far as decision-making and things like that. He’s an incredibly talented kid.”
Mack is part of a 3-man quarterback competition this offseason at Alabama. Following the spring, Ty Simpson has been referred to as the leader in the clubhouse. Keelon Russell draws headlines as the newest quarterback on the roster. Mack might be the forgotten man, but perhaps he shouldn’t be.
Of the 3, Mack has the experience edge. He worked with Grubb before. He has spent the longest in DeBoer’s system.
A 4-star recruit out of the 2023 class, Mack was a California kid who looked like the Huskies’ future. The plan, had DeBoer stayed at UW, was to bring in a 1-year bridge quarterback and then hand the reins to Mack in 2025. But then Nick Saban retired, DeBoer got the opportunity of a lifetime, and now Mack finds himself in a different zip code with the same goal.
“He’s probably your best pure thrower, just power, the tempo of the football, and where he can put it, touch, he is a pure thrower of the ball,” Grubb said. “Still developing as a decision-maker and still getting command of the offense. Certainly, the reps he’s been able to get this spring and even this summer already are really what he didn’t have his first 2 years because he just wasn’t in a position to be a backup or in a competitive role for the starting position. So, now all the coaching and reps he’s been getting, I feel like he’s growing every week.”
Grubb said the 6-foot-6 Mack is “more mobile than people think” and picks things up faster than anyone else in the quarterback room.
He only threw 3 pass attempts last season and did not appear in a game during his lone year at Washington. Still, the ceiling remains high for the redshirt sophomore.
Ryan Grubb opens up on Alabama QB Austin Mack’s growth, potential Saturday Down South.
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