The question came out of the media scrum surrounding Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans on Sunday before his induction into the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame at the Grand Hotel Golf Club and Spa in Point Clear.
Which team would Ryans rather beat – the Baltimore Ravens or the Hoover Buccaneers?
Ryans laughed but answered quickly, with his response given less as the coach of an AFC contender and more as a former All-State linebacker for Jess Lanier High School.
“Hoover – crosstown rival,” Ryans said. “It was always a really great game. Jess Lanier, now Bessemer City, and Hoover, always looked forward to that game – first game of the year. Always was a tough matchup and one we always took pride in.”
Once a Purple Tiger always a Purple Tiger.
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Although Ryans played his final football game for Jess Lanier in 2001 – a season that began with a 14-12 loss to Hoover and ended with a 28-17 loss to the Bucs in the third round of the AHSAA Class 6A playoffs – he isn’t through with Alabama high school football.
Five members of Ryans’ current team are former standouts at Alabama high schools:
· Wide receiver Nico Collins, Clay-Chalkville
· Defensive tackle Marcus Harris, Park Crossing
· Offensive lineman Tytus Howard, Monroe County
· Cornerback Kamari Lassister, American Christian
· Safety Jimmie Ward, Davidson
“There is something about Alabama football,” Ryans said. “Alabama high school football, it’s a way of life here. Friday nights, you know you’re lining up to play football. Nobody’s at home; everybody’s watching the game.
“But you got great competition and great athletes all across the state of Alabama. I’m not biased here, but it’s one of the best states when it comes to high school football. You get some of the best athletes probably in the country right here in Alabama.”
Ryans has worked with Lassiter and Harris only since May. They joined the Texans in this year’s draft – Lassiter from Georgia as the team’s first choice of 2024 and Harris from Auburn in the seventh round.
Collins led Houston with 80 receptions for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023.
Injuries limited Howard to seven games last season, but he’s started all 61 games he’s played at either tackle or guard since joining the Texans from Alabama State in the first round of the 2019 draft.
Injuries also caused Ward to miss seven regular-season and both playoff games last season.
For Collins and Howard, 2023 was their first season with Ryans. But Ward followed Ryans to Houston in free agency after the Texans hired the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator to be their head coach.
Ryans joined the San Francisco staff in 2017, which was Ward’s fourth season with the 49ers.
Ryans said the former Mobile prep star still “has a lot in the tank for us.”
“Jimmie is still playing at a very high level going into, I think, his (11th) year now,” Ryans said. “He’s still doing it at high level. Jimmie plays the game the way I love to play. He plays with unmatched intensity, he’s a smart player, communicates well and he’s a great teammate.”
After Jess Lanier, Ryans played at Alabama, where he was a unanimous All-American, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and the winner of the Lott IMPACT Trophy for the 2005 season as a senior. He capped his college career as the Defensive MVP of the Cotton Bowl in Alabama’s 13-10 victory over Texas Tech.
After playing in the 2006 Senior Bowl, Ryans joined the Texans as a second-round draft choice to start a 10-year NFL career as a middle linebacker. He won the Pro Football Writers of America’s NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2006 and was a two-time Pro Bowl selection for the Texans.
On Sunday, Ryans entered the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame with the rest of the Class of 2024 – Alabama defensive lineman Marty Lyons, Southern Cal quarterback Carson Palmer, Utah defensive back Eric Weddle and UAB wide receiver Roddy White.
In his first season as an NFL head coach, Ryans led the Texans to a 10-7 record in 2023 after Houston had won 11 games in the previous three seasons under four coaches.
The Texans made NFL history with their showing. Houston became the first team to win a division title with a first-year head coach and a rookie quarterback – C.J. Stroud, the second selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Texans’ season ended in a 34-10 loss to the Ravens in the NFL playoffs. Houston defeated the Cleveland Browns 45-14 in the first round of the AFC postseason.
Ryans won the PFWA’s NFL Coach of the Year Award for the 2023 season.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.