Next season, Nick Sheridan will be Michigan State’s offensive coordinator under new head coach Pat Fitzgerald. But for the moment, he’s still locked in as Alabama football’s quarterbacks coach.
According to UA OC Ryan Grubb, he hasn’t had a reason to doubt Sheridan’s commitment to the Crimson Tide’s playoff run, despite his upcoming move.
“As far as for the staff, there’s certainly some complications that go with those things. I would say, again, not to over-compliment Nick; none of those complications have ever come from Nick,” Grubb said. “He has just been a total stud. If there’s somebody that’s up at the office as much as me, it’s Nick. He’s always right there to talk about whatever we’re going through. He’s been great.
“I think his unwavering support and just even from the beginning, when he first told me what was going on, one of the first things he said is, ‘I’m here till the end, Grubb. I’m not taking the job until we go win this thing.’ That was like statement No. 1. And yeah, it just says a lot about his character, the kind of person he is. So super excited for him.”
Sheridan spent one season as the primary offensive coordinator in Tuscaloosa, before Grubb returned from a one-year sojourn with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. He’ll take over as OC in East Lansing, in his home state.
Grubb predicted great things for Sheridan in the future.
“Nick’s much more than a co-worker,” Grubb said. “He’s a dear friend. I mean that. He’s just an absolute stud. In this profession, you just celebrate the wins for the good guys, and Nick’s definitely one of them. So I think for him, just being able to go take that next step.
“Nick has always been really, really good at building, and I think that’s what you see with great coaches, guys that they just take steps and they develop. They stop somewhere, they’re with people, they grow, and they become even better coaches. And I think that for coach Fitzgerald, he got a great one.”
Quarterback Ty Simpson has worked with Sheridan the past two seasons. He also had high praise for his departing coach.
“I’m certainly very proud of coach Sheridan and what he’s doing for himself and his brand and his career,” Simpson said. “He told me, he told us as quarterbacks, he wants to call plays and then going back to Michigan of course, with his family, is very, very important to him. So I’m super proud of everything that he’s done.
“And he’s very important to me, not only as a coach but as a player and a person. Just because he’s somebody who I can always come talk to, whether about football or life in general.”
Alabama will face Indiana on Thursday in the CFP’s Rose Bowl quarterfinal. The winner will move on to the Peach Bowl, to face either Oregon or Texas Tech.
The Crimson Tide and Hoosiers will kick off at 3 p.m. CT Thursday in Pasadena. The game will be aired on ESPN.
