You ever seen somebody walk into a new job and immediately call out the man he just replaced? That’s exactly what Ryan Grubb did, and he ain’t here to play nice. Alabama’s new offensive coordinator wasted no time in sending a clear message, and if you were Nick Sheridan, you probably felt that sting. It wasn’t just a jab; it was a whole uppercut. And guess what? He ain’t wrong. The 2024 Alabama offense was mid—especially the run game.

All that preseason hype about Justice Haynes and Jam Miller? Yeah, that turned into an 84th-ranked rushing attack, averaging just 173.8 yards per game. For Alabama standards? That’s straight-up embarrassing. Now Grubb is stepping in, talking big, and setting the tone. The question is—what’s next for Bama’s offense and, more importantly, for Nick Sheridan, who’s still in the building, looking really uncomfortable right about now?

On February 15th, Alabama alums Marvin Constant and Smoke Dixon got on their podcast, The Bama Standard Network, and broke it down for everybody. Marvin came in hot, quoting Grubb’s words like they were gospel: “We should be able to push the ba-l down the field. We should be able to finish runs and block with explosive manner. I think we really show what this offense needs to look like from a standpoint of what people will be threatened when they see us.” Translation? ‘We were soft last year, and that’s not happening again.’ And let’s be real—he wasn’t lying.

Bama’s offense under Nick Sheridan in 2024 was not what we’re used to seeing. This is a program built on dominance, but last season? The Tide averaged just 28.5 points per game—down from 41.1 in 2023. The offense went from stacking 488.2 yards per game in ‘23 to a diabolical 396.4. That’s ain’t just a step back; that’s falling off a cliff. And the run game? If it wasn’t for Jalen Milroe using his only talent, they would’ve been completely cooked.

Now here’s where it gets messy. Nick Sheridan, the man who was calling the shots in 2024, is still on staff. Yeah, you read that right. He got demoted from offensive coordinator to quarterbacks coach, and now he has to sit in meetings while Grubb talks about everything he did wrong. If you’ve ever had a job where your replacement is still working down the hall, you know exactly how that feels. It ain’t pretty.

Smoke Dixon didn’t hold back either: “When the new OC comes in, Ryan Grubb—and I appreciate his honesty—he basically went and watched the same tape that everybody else has been watching, that we’ve been watching, and he was quite critical of Nick Sheridan. Now, he wasn’t saying, ‘Nick, you’re awful.’ But he’s saying, ‘The things that we need to do? We aren’t doing them at a high rate.’” That’s kind of saying: ‘This man was not getting the job done.’

Marvin Constant then dropped the real question: “What’s this going to do to the working relationship?” And Dixon sighed and kept it real: “It ain’t gonna go over well. You and I are both competitors. And when you have someone come in, when you’ve been demoted—man, the noble thing to do is you get out and go find another job. Because everything that you’ve installed, and everything that you’ve done, is getting questioned.”

He basically told Nick Sheridan to pack his bags because sticking around after getting called out like that? That’s just prolonging the inevitable. Look, if we are being real, this ain’t gonna last. Sheridan’s exit is only a matter of time or season; it depends on Bama’s 2025 season.

Alabama’s run game under Ryan Grubb

So, what does Grubb’s offense actually look like? One thing’s for sure—he’s gonna run the show, and he’s gonna do it right. Grubb’s history shows he’s all about balance, but when he runs it, he commits. In 2024, Alabama actually ran 10 more times per game than they passed, but the problem wasn’t the attempts—it was the results. The backs weren’t getting loose, and the blocking wasn’t opening lanes. That’s about to change.

Jalen Milroe carried way too much of the load last season, accounting for over 35% of Alabama’s rush attempts and nearly half the touchdowns. But Milroe’s gone, and so is Justice Haynes. That leaves Jam Miller and Richard Young as the next guys up. And let us tell you—Grubb loves using multiple backs. Since 2017, he’s had five seasons where multiple backs got at least 100 carries, and we’ve seen Alabama do that before.

Miller led the Tide’s backfield last season with 145 carries, 668 yards, and seven touchdowns, but his last five games were rough—just 3.1 yards per carry and no touchdowns. Young, meanwhile, has barely seen the field, but 2025 might be his time to shine. If Grubb’s offense sticks to its trend, both of these guys will get work, and Alabama might finally start looking like Alabama again in the run game.

Ryan Grubb came in and made one thing clear—Alabama’s offense is getting a full makeover. No more weak-sauce run game. No more vanilla play-calling. And no more excuses. If you ain’t part of the solution, you might be part of the problem. And Nick Sheridan? He’s got a big 2025 season ahead of him, and after that, he’ll have some tough decisions to make.

As Dixon put it, Grubb wasn’t just calling out Sheridan for fun—he’s got answers. Hopefully, now, it’s time to see if Bama’s offense can finally get back to scaring defenses again. If he doesn’t scare the SEC defense, then he’ll be crowned as Nick Sheridan 2.0.