Mike Macdonald had his eye on Ryan Grubb long before he was hired by the Seahawks.

After a successful run as the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator, Mike Macdonald is taking over as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. As Macdonald prepares to take over his new role, he will have Ryan Grubb alongside him as the newest Seahawks offensive coordinator.

Macdonald had an idea that he would be a highly touted coaching candidate in 2024’s cycle. As he pondered what his staff would look like, Grubb was a name that was on Macdonald’s radar throughout the 2023 season, via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. With Macdonald looking to build Seattle’s new identity, the head coach felt Grubb’s acumen was the perfect fit to help him lead the charge.

“That’s going to be one of our core identities is being able to run the ball,” Macdonald said. “Ryan is an O-line guy at heart and I really respect that about him.”

While Seattle interviewed numerous candidates from their OC role, Grubb rose to the top. Macdonald had been watching his work with Washington football and identified him as a coach whose system could mesh with his own. Now, Macdonald will have the opportunity to bring that vision to light with the Seahawks.

Grubb helped lead Washington to a National Championship Game appearance against Michigan. Their offense ranked 12th in total offense, averaging 462.1 yards per game. They were 13th in scoring offense, averaging 36 points per game.

Mike Macdonald will be looking to take the Seahawks back to the playoffs in 2024. Ryan Grubb, a coach Macdonald knew he wanted before he got the job, will be leading the offense next to him.