The designed QB run will not be as big a part of the Alabama offense in 2025 as it was in 2024. That point was always obvious following Jalen Milroe's decision to enter the NFL Draft. Newly minted starting QB Ty Simpson can scoot, but offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb spoke after practice on Tuesday about the importance of taking care of Simpson. He also commented on the differences between the Crimson Tide's offense last season and what it will look like this year.
"We’re not necessarily a Jalen Milroe offense right now," Grubb said. "Just, Jalen was a super talented runner, and that was probably a part of the game plan every week, and was smart last year by the offensive staff. So I think that’s probably the biggest difference.”
Milroe's athleticism was his greatest strength - building the offense around that always made sense. Unfortunately, the offense became too stale and too predictable down the stretch of the season, particularly as Milroe began to struggle even more in the passing game as time wore on.
Things will be different this year. Grubb was brought in as the offensive coordinator to replace Nick Sheridan. He won't be reinventing the wheel - it's still the Kalen DeBoer offense. But it will feel almost like an entirely new system for Alabama fans. With Simpson at the helm, Grubb will call the offense more true to what they ran at Washington, and not the hybrid system they ran last year to take advantage of Milroe's skills.
Ryan Grubb wants to cautiously take advantage of Ty Simpson's legs
Simpson is an effective runner, which is something that has been obvious in the last couple of seasons when he has gotten in games. Somehow, that skill is being underrated, however, and plenty of analysts have portrayed him as a statue in the pocket. If defensive coordinators gameplan for Simpson like that, he's going to burn them with his legs.
Ideally, for Grubb, however, is that Simpson won't be asked to use his legs very often, at least early in the season. Keeping Simpson upright and healthy is vital for the success of this football team, and Alabama is playing the long game.
“I mean, to a point. Ty is certainly capable of doing those things," Grubb said when asked about there being fewer designed runs this season. "Just probably philosophically, Mike Penix was a good runner. People really wouldn’t know that, but we didn’t really run him until the playoffs or late, just because it’s a long season. You’re better off with your starter being able to throw the football in this offense than run it. We certainly look for those opportunities, because I think Ty is a good runner. We’ll make sure we’ll have things for him. Taking care of him and making sure he’s upright is important.”
This offense is predicated on pushing the ball downhill in the passing game while running the football on soft boxes to take advantage of number advantages. Most likely, the majority of Simpson's running the football, at least early in the season, will come when plays break down and he scrambles to make something happen. There will probably be some read-option looks sprinkled in, too, but DeBoer and Grubb want Simpson to be a passer first. That's why he won the job.