Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images / William McLelland-Imagn Images
Ryan Grubb took a shot at Alabama fans after a win over Florida State.
The Alabama football team beat Florida State 50-36 to earn their third win of the 2026 season. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb was booed amid a slow start.
The Crimson Tide fell behind 21-6 before erupting for 44 points across the final 33 minutes of play. He antagonized the fanbase after the fact.
Grubb has coached 18 games with the team. Through three outings this year, Alabama ranks seventh nationally, scoring 47.7 points per contest. It has not shielded the play caller from criticism.
Alabama has been streaky.
The team has started slow in each of their first three matchups. Against East Carolina, they turned a 10-0 lead into a 38-7 blowout thanks to four second quarter touchdowns.
Against Kentucky, they trailed much of the game before scoring 32 points in the last 25 minutes of play.
It was deja vu in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. The Crimson Tide were down 21-6 just before halftime. They then threw three touchdown passes in the final three minutes of the half to take the lead.
Alabama would go onto win comfortably. Prior to that offensive outburst, the fans let their frustrations be heard.
Who’s going to tell Ryan Grubb that Alabama fans were booing *him* and not the players?
Attacking fans ain’t it. pic.twitter.com/pupzHCoVQl
— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) September 21, 2026
Fans booed play calling after another slow start. Grubb responded by attacking their loyalty.
“If (players) would’ve quit as fast as some of our fans, we wouldn’t have won that game,” Grubb said.
Grubb is in his second season with the Tide. He’d previously coached with Kalen DeBoer at Washington, Fresno State, Eastern Michigan, and Sioux Falls before becoming an NFL OC with the Seahawks.
The offense was up and down last year, though Grubb turned Ty Simpson into a first-round NFL draft pick.
He has not won his current fanbase over despite leading the team to three victories with a first-year starting quarterback this season.
Grubb didn’t do himself any favors with his postgame comments. Alabama will play South Carolina at home on Saturday. A slow start will likely trigger another negative response from the home crowd.