A week ago, Kalen DeBoer missed the boat on a valuable opportunity for Alabama football. Current Houston Texans head coach and Alabama Crimson Tide legend, DeMeco Ryans, was in Tuscaloosa. Ryans was a speaker at Alabama's annual coaching clinic. No doubt what he said to the large group of coaches was helpful to their careers. He is not only one of the most respected NFL head coaches. He is also one of the most respected men in the coaching profession.
DeMeco Ryans played for the Crimson Tide before the Nick Saban era. In 2002, he became a starter in the last game of his freshman season. Playing four seasons for Alabama, Ryans was a 2005 Consensus All-American and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He won the Lott Trophy that year and was a finalist for the Bednarik, Lombardi, Nagurski, and Butkus awards.
Ryans joined the Alabama Crimson Tide as a 3-star recruit, ranked by one service as the No. 771 player in the 2002 class. Unofficially, because it occurred in a bowl game, Lee Roy Jordan holds the Alabama single-game record for 31 tackles in the Orange Bowl. Officially, DeMeco Ryans holds the Crimson Tide record for tackles with 25 against Arkansas.
In addition to his football prowess, Ryans was a three-time selection to the SEC All-Academic team. When he left Alabama in the spring of 2006, Ryans credited his mom for her guidance, " Do your best. Work hard. Take advantage of the opportunities you have been given. ... She had high expectations, and we knew that anything less than a "B" was unacceptable. We also knew if we were capable of bringing home "A's," we had better land the "A." My Mom backed up her words with her actions. She worked two jobs most of my life, so my brothers and sisters would have those things and those opportunities we needed."
DeMeco Ryans and Alabama Football Lessons
In 2006, Ryans also said, Life is funny. It changes in ways you don't expect and at times you don't anticipate." How beneficial it would have been to Alabama's 2026 football players if Ryans had stood in front of them and said the same words. Ryans has spoken many times about his love and respect for the Alabama football program. If for no other reason, his status as an NFL head coach makes him someone able to gain the attention of the current generation of players. Ryans could have said much, and all of it would have been valuable.
That didn't happen this April. Maybe it was impossible to fit into his schedule. Surely Kalen DeBoer understood how meaningful it would be for Ryans to speak to his players. Whether he did or not, DeBoer missed the boat by not making it happen.
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