Former Alabama Crimson Tide players Mark Ingram and DeMeco Ryans are on the ballot for the next inductees into the College Football Hall of Fame. For Ingram, getting in is a given. If not this cycle, Alabama's first Heisman Trophy winner will be elected at some point.
If for some misguided reason, only one former Alabama Crimson Tide player can be inducted in this cycle, it should be DeMeco Ryans rather than Ingram. Few Alabama football fans will dispute that Ingram is one of Alabama's top five running backs ever. Ryans was an outstanding player, but perhaps not on every list of Alabama's five greatest linebackers.
Alabama Crimson Tide Linebacker Legends
The Crimson Tide already has five CFB Hall of Fame linebackers. Lee Roy Jordan, who starred for Alabama on the 1960, 1961, and 1962 teams, was inducted in 2005. Woodrow Lowe played from 1972-75, and was inducted in 2009. Derrick Thomas, who played from 1985-88, was inducted in 2014. E.J. Junior, who played from 1977-80, was inducted in 2020. All five were sensational college players who also succeeded in the NFL.
Ryans came to Tuscaloosa as a 3-star recruit from Bessemer, AL. In player rankings for the 2002 class, Ryans was No. 771. Following the 2005 Alabama football season, Ryans was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He won the Lott Trophy and was a Consensus All-American. He was also the 2005 National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete. Ryans holds the official Alabama record for tackles in a single game: 25 tackles against Arkansas in 2023.
There is a wrinkle to the 'official' single-game tackles record. Lee Roy Jordan was credited with 31 tackles against Oklahoma in the 1963 Alabama Orange Bowl win over Oklahoma. Back then, bowl game stats were unofficial and not counted in record books. Jordan was once asked to respond to his feat against the Sooners not being official. A gracious Jordan said it didn't matter and that he was probably credited with some tackles his teammates made.
Lee Roy Jordan is 84 now. Hopefully, DeMeco Ryans will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame while Jordan can introduce him.