Imagine yourself taking a trip to The University of Alabama to go see the football facility. You walk down the hallway to view the achievements and history of all Alabama football has to offer. The program has become so legendary that one cannot even think twice about whether or not they’d like to be part of such a rich tradition — if the opportunity ever presented itself.
That opportunity was presented to linebacker DeMeco Ryans back in the early 2000’s. Ryans took that opportunity and ran with it. He is now remembered as one of the best linebackers to ever play for the Crimson Tide. He went from being a special teams ace during his first season on campus to eventually winning the SEC Defensive Player of the Year during his senior year back in 2005.
He was coached by former Alabama head coach — and current Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator — Mike Shula and was a standout linebacker for the Crimson Tide. During his sophomore season, Ryans (126), Roman Harper (111) and Derrick Pope (105) became the first three players in school history to have 100 or more tackles in a season. That same season, Ryans set a school record when he registered 25 tackles in a single game against Arkansas.
He closed out his career at Alabama as one of the most polished athletes on the gridiron — ranking 5th on Alabama’s all-time tackle list with 307 career stops. Following his impressive college career, Ryans was drafted in the second-round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. He went on to record 970 tackles over the course of a ten-year career which included stops with both the Texans and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now that his NFL career has come to a close, Ryans wants to give back to the game that has given him so much. He has dreams of eventually becoming a head coach, but Ryans will start off his coaching career as a defensive quality control coach for the San Francisco 49ers. It could be the start to a very promising career for him. Ryans has always been known as a great teammate and mentor for younger players. He had even earned the nickname “Mufasa” from former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly.
This new opportunity is exactly what the doctor ordered. Ryans will now be in the same building as former Alabama standout Reuben Foster — who was drafted with the No. 31 overall pick a few weeks ago during the 2017 NFL Draft. Maybe Ryans can become the type of mentor that can help develop Foster into a generational NFL talent — Foster already possesses a lot of the necessary traits.
Ryans has always had a big heart with helping others. Attempting to mold the lives of players to allow them to be come even better people — as well as football players — will give him the opportunity to do just that. He will have the opportunity to make his players into great men.
Michael Cannady is a contributor for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter at: @mike_can21
