Scott Huff was starting his new job, far from his previous coaching position, when he got a chance to stay in the Pacific Northwest and face a new challenge.
The Seattle Seahawks have consistently struggled with their offensive line, which has sometimes limited their performance on that side of the field.
Now, it’s up to Huff, who was known as one of the best offensive line coaches in college football during his time at Washington, to improve the NFL line for the Seahawks.
“He really reminds me a lot of my college coach. He’s a great guy, very detail-oriented and he brings a lot of energy,” said Seattle left tackle Charles Cross.
The Seahawks have the skill players to be a strong offense. With Geno Smith, Kenneth Walker III, DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, they have the talent to score points and gain yards.
However, the big question for the team is whether their offensive line, which has been a concern for years, can at least be decent or even above average.
Huff’s job is to build and coach a line that will help Seattle’s offense reach its full potential.
“I’m still pretty fresh into this, but I think the guys want to be coached,” Huff said.
Huff staying with the Seahawks is noteworthy. After Washington’s season ended with a loss to Michigan in the national championship game, Huff expected to move to Alabama to coach offensive linemen under Kalen DeBoer, who had just been hired by the Crimson Tide.
Huff was far enough along in the process that his family had started buying a home in Alabama when the chance to stay with the Seahawks came up.
“I’ve been so lucky my whole career. I’ve been so happy wherever I’ve been, whether it was at Boise State where I played for a long time, at Washington with three different head coaches, or even my short time in Alabama,” Huff said.
“Then obviously being here, it was always the ‘if it just made sense.’”
And it did make sense, especially since Huff got to stay with Ryan Grubb, the same offensive coordinator he worked with the past two seasons at Washington.
Last year, Huff and Grubb coached an offensive line that was considered the best in the country and won the Joe Moore Award.
“When you have another person who’s responsible for a lot of the offense and pass protection, run scheme, getting that understanding throughout the staff and getting things started quickly and effectively is crucial. Huff has clearly been a big part of that,” Grubb said.
This means Huff’s decision to stay brings expectations that he can replicate his college success with the Seahawks’ offensive line.
Huff should feel good about the left side of his line with Charles Cross at left tackle and veteran Laken Tomlinson at guard. The center position got a boost with the signing of Connor Williams, assuming Williams is healthy after recovering from a torn ACL last December.
