A unique occasion for the Alabama football program comes before the NFL Draft.
The Reese’s Senior Bowl (Mobile, Ala.) throws out excellent talent every year for the National Football League, and its 2024 Hall of Fame Class has been announced. Two former Crimson Tide standouts made the list as DeMeco Ryans and Marty Lyons are in the Hall of Fame as defensive players. Ryan, a Bessemer (Ala.) native, was a decorative inside linebacker for the Tide from 2002 to 2005. He was a first-team All-SEC selection, a Unanimous All-American selection, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and the Lott IMPACT Trophy winner in 2005. Ryans played 10 seasons in the NFL (2006-15) with the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles before commencing his coaching career. He was a defensive assistant for the San Francisco 49ers, but he ascended up the ranks to be the defensive coordinator from 2021 to 2022. Ryans is now the head coach of the organization that drafted him as a player in 2006.
The Senior Bowl Hall of Fame Class of 2024!
LB DeMeco Ryans #Texans
QB Carson Palmer #Cardinals
DB Eric Weddle #Chargers
WR Roddy White #Falcons
DL Marty Lyons #JetsDL YaYa Diaby #Buccaneers
WR Puka Nacua #Rams
LB Byron Young #Rams #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ #SBHOF2024… pic.twitter.com/8oqASwKuGx— Reese's Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) April 17, 2024
Ryans’ path started in the Reese’s Senior Bowl as a player, and now he’s having success as a coach.
Lyons was a defensive lineman for Coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant from 1975 to 1978. He was a Consensus All-American, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and first-team All-SEC pick in 1978. Lyons also helped the Tide achieve a national championship in the 1978 season. Alabama compiled a record of 31-5 during his tenure as a player. He was the No. 14 overall selection of the 1979 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. Lyons participated in 147 career games from 1979 to 1990 for the Jets.
He is in the College Football Hall of Fame.
