Alabama football builds bonds and forges connections that often last a lifetime. Former Tider and NFL great DeMeco Ryans will be tutoring Reuben Foster in San Francisco.
Former Alabama football great DeMeco Ryans played for coach Chip Kelly at the Philadelphia Eagles. Kelly said Ryans was the Eagles Mufasa. It was an apt description. In his ten year NFL career, Ryans was known not just as a great player, but also a great teammate. Ryans looked back on his playing career and shared his perspective on being a team player.
"“I always enjoyed helping other players, younger players, get better. That’s the aspect of coaching I really like, helping and developing young men to get better. I’ve always tried to help out wherever I could, whether it was in college or even in high school. I always tried to help guys get better. That was just what I did, it’s who I am.’’"
Ryans stellar NFL career ended earlier than he expected due to an injury. He spent a year resting and recuperating and recently was added to the coaching staff of the San Francisco 49ers.
Writing in The Morning Call, Nick Fierro said,
"“When he (Ryans) was traded from Houston to the Eagles before the 2012 season, it was reported that many tears were shed by Texans players and coaches.”"
DeMeco Ryans came to Alabama as a three-star recruit. In his Alabama football career, he became a consensus All-American and three times was named to the Academic All-SEC Team.
Playing against Arkansas in 2003, Ryans recorded 25 tackles. That stat places Ryans No. 1 in the Tide record book, with a needed asterisk. Official player stats have not always recorded in bowl games. Against Oklahoma, in the 1963 Orange Bowl, Lee Roy Jordan recorded 31 tackles, setting an Orange Bowl record.
Even if Jordan’s feat was included in the Tide record book, Ryans would be No. 2 on the single-game and single-season record sheet for most tackles.
In the NFL, Ryans played six seasons for the Houston Texans and four seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles. In his 10 season NFL career, Ryans played in 140 NFL games and started all but one game.
As a defensive analyst for the 49ers, Ryans will work directly with Reuben Foster and the other linebackers. It is hard to imagine a better teacher to continue Reuben’s development. Ryans is reunited with Kyle Shanahan and Robert Selah, who were with Houston when Ryans was a Texan.
Commenting on Ryans’ coaching potential, San Francisco Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh said,
"“Ryans’ coaching career will take him far beyond working with linebackers. DeMeco will probably be a head coach someday.”"
Next: Tide Will Face Four New Offensive Coordinators
Let’s hope DeMeco can fulfill his Mufasa image as a NFL coach. Maybe the Circle of Life analogy doesn’t apply beyond The Lion King. Yet Alabama football players are members of a community that binds them together long after they leave the Capstone.