Alabama’s passing attack has been exceptionally impressive throughout the first four weeks of the 2026 season. They average 10.1 yards per attempt, a remarkable 70.5% completion rate, and lead the SEC with a +0.66 EPA/play per dropback.
OC Ryan Grubb’s offenses have consistently excelled in the passing game. Over the past six years, their passing yards per game rankings have been as follows:
2020: Fresno State - 356.3 pass yards per game (5th in FBS)
2021: Fresno State - 326.7 pass yards per game (9th in FBS)
2022: Washington - 369.8 pass yards per game (1st in FBS)
2023: Washington - 343.7 pass yards per game (2nd in FBS)
2024: Seahawks - 236.5 pass yards per game (6th in NFL)
2025: Alabama - 263.5 pass yards per game (29th in FBS)
In week 4 against South Carolina, Alabama had seven explosive passes. Grubb’s pass game generates so many explosive plays because his concepts get deep coverage zones to attach to routes and then replace those zones with other routes.
Sting
South Carolina got to a variation of Cover 4, so Ryan Grubb dialed up a Double Post from the boundary with a Sting route to replace the deep zone. The Post routes clear out the boundary CB and FS, while the Sting route replaces that zone. With the play-action and the Sting route diving in, the DBs pass off the route underneath, but the Sting is behind the LBs, so he goes unnoticed. Consequently, Keelon Russell finds him for a 36-yard gain.
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