DeMeco Ryans is going to the Hall of Fame.
The one in Mobile, Alabama, and not Canton, Ohio, just to clarify.
The second-year Houston Texans coach and former Pro Bowl linebacker was named to the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame. Ryans, a former standout for the University of Alabama, became a sensation down at Ladd-Peebles Stadium during the 2006 Senior Bowl.
“Being from Alabama, it was a huge honor to get the invite and participate in the 2006 Senior Bowl,” Ryans said in a statement. “I’m thankful to have played my last collegiate game in front of my home state fans. This game provided me a pivotal opportunity as a draft prospect to prove myself against the best competition in college football. Now as a coach, I continue to follow the game closely to evaluate the top talent in the draft each year. Now, as a coach, I continue to follow the game closely to evaluate the top talent in the draft each year. This game helped me as a player many years ago, and it is still assisting players in reaching their dream of playing in the NFL.”
Please welcome @AlabamaFTBL, 2006 Senior Bowl alum, and current Head Coach of the @HoustonTexans, DeMeco Ryans to the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame Class of 2024! #WeAreTexans #SBHOF24 #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ pic.twitter.com/8IVABcDnxm
— Reese's Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) April 17, 2024
Ryans was one of five inductees for the Class of 2024, joining Marty Lyons (1979), Carson Palmer (2003), Eric Weddle (2007) and Roddy White (2005).
A second-round pick for the Texans in 2006, Ryans would go on to win Defensive Rookie of the Year under first-year coach Gary Kubiak. A year later, he’d earn first-team All-Pro honors and his first Pro Bowl nomination.
Ryans spent six seasons in Houston before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. He retired in 2015 and almost immediately caught the coaching bug, joining the 49ers’ staff in 2017.
Hired by the McNairs last offseason, Ryans was the architect for the team’s turnaround after a woeful three seasons. Houston was on its fourth coach in four years after Bill O’Brien, David Culley and Lovie Smith combined for 11 wins in three years.
Headlined by Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud, the Texans coasted to a 10-7 regular-season record and their first division title in four years. Ryans, who finished second in AP Coach of the Year voting, became the seventh coach since 2019 to improve by at least six wins since the previous year.
Houston also secured its first playoff win since 2019 with a victory over the Browns in the wild-card round.
Ryans and the Texans will look to build off their dominant first season in 2024 and should be considered an AFC favorite. Entering next week’s draft, the Texans have the seventh-best odds to win this year’s Super Bowl, according to BetMGM.
