Twelve months ago, Scott Huff was wrapping up his seventh season as the offensive line coach at the University of Washington, focused solely on preparing his players for the Sugar Bowl—arguably the biggest game of his coaching career.
Since then, he’s experienced a whirlwind. Huff coached Washington in the national championship game, accepted a job as the offensive line coach for Kalen DeBoer at Alabama, and then reversed course weeks later to join offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb in Seattle with the Seahawks, fulfilling his dream of coaching at the NFL level.
Navigating all of that led Huff to one of football’s most challenging roles: coaching the Seahawks’ offensive line, a unit constantly under scrutiny.
His first year on the job has been anything but smooth.
The team has dealt with four starting right tackles, two rookies seeing significant time at right guard, and the shocking midseason retirement of free-agent center Connor Williams, who was expected to anchor the line.
“Yeah, it’s been pretty wild,’’ Huff said. “It’s been tough, up and down. But overall, it’s been great.’’
Sunday brought a breakthrough. The Seahawks put together their best offensive performance of the year, rushing for a season-high 176 yards and allowing no sacks in a 30-18 win over Arizona.
The victory kept Seattle in first place in the NFC West and significantly boosted their chances of winning the division for the first time since 2020.
After the game, head coach Mike Macdonald awarded Huff one of the game balls, prompting cheers from the team.
“That was nice and cool,’’ Huff said after Thursday’s practice. “But really, I didn’t do anything. The boys, they all did it, the guys. It was good. But time to move on.’’
Privately, Huff might take a moment to savor that recognition.
But his even-keeled demeanor reflects the approach that’s helped him weather a challenging year and ignite the Seahawks’ running game.
“I think he’s done a good job of weathering the storm, so to speak, at times,’’ Grubb said Thursday.
“There’s been some rough sledding obviously, and there will continue to be those moments where it’s difficult to block NFL fronts with the players that different teams have.
So, I think his mindset and mentality (has been key), what he brings to the room, just that we’re going to keep working and finding solutions.’’
On Sunday, the solution was to exploit Arizona’s aggressiveness with more gap-scheme runs.
The approach not only worked but also seemed to catch the Cardinals off-guard after their previous matchup in Seattle.
The turning point came late in the second quarter, when Zach Charbonnet broke free for a 51 yard touchdown run—the Seahawks’ longest of the season—putting them up 24-10 at halftime.
According to quarterback Geno Smith, Grubb called the play after recognizing a defensive blitz alignment by Cardinals safety Budda Baker.
“I guess he saw a blitz or something (coming) and got to that look,’’ Smith said.
While the play call was ideal, its success depended on precise execution.
Right tackle Abe Lucas and right guard Sataoa Laumea pulled to clear the path for Charbonnet, a sequence players credited to Huff’s coaching.
“I love coach Huff,’’ Smith said Thursday. “I think he’s done a tremendous job with that room.
You think about all the guys who have been in and out of the lineup, he’s got veteran guys, he’s got young guys from all over the place, and he’s getting each and every one of those guys prepared to go out there and be their best selves. That’s really what you want from a coach.’’
For Huff, the most rewarding part of the season has been seeing the gradual progress pay off.
“That’s what you work so hard for,’’ he said. “For the guys to go out there and feel good and confident and then you go execute it at a high level.
That was the exciting thing, how that came together, (not) the other stuff (such as game balls).’’
The team’s celebration when Macdonald awarded Huff the game ball—captured on social media—underscored his ability to connect with players on more than just a technical level.
“The way that he can connect with the guys, and then the way that he pushes the guys, everyone doesn’t get to see how stern he is and how on it he is with these guys, but he’s right there, and they respect him, and I think that’s a big thing,’’ Smith said of Huff, a former Boise State player (1999-2002) turned coach.
When asked about Smith’s comments on his sternness, Huff laughed. “Time and place,’’ he said.
“I just like to think there is a high standard and if we are meeting it, which we should be, great. And if not, we have to make sure we address it and try to fix it.’’
Huff and Grubb have both learned in their first NFL season the importance of adapting week-to-week.
While the Seahawks seemed to find answers against Arizona, they know Sunday’s game against the 9-4 Packers will present a new challenge.
“I think the versatility piece is really what we talk about—having the ability to run multiple schemes,’’
Grubb said. “It is not easy to do just in the sense that you have preparation against a lot of these NFL teams that have different fronts and things like that that you got to be ready to block different structures.’’
The hope is that Sunday’s success becomes a turning point, not an anomaly.
“I know it hasn’t always shown up, but there’s been a couple of games where a couple of tackles here and there, we have a 55 yarder one week now all of a sudden an 85 yard game turns into 130 yards rushing,’’ Grubb said.
“So I think that we were kind of due for that a little bit.’’
Smith is optimistic the best is yet to come. “Huff has brought a lot to this offense, a lot to this team,’’ he said. “And I can’t wait to see where it goes.’’
For Huff, the journey through a tumultuous 2024 season has reinforced a core belief: it’s not about how you start but how you finish.
“It’s now how your start, it’s how you finish,’’ Huff said. “I’ve always believed in that, whether it was one play or a season or a year.
There’s been some highs and lows (this year). Just trying to stay consistent through the whole thing.’’
