Texans Head Coach Nominated for Prestigous College Football Honor

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans was named alongside 78 other former college football players nominated for the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class.

Ryans played at Alabama from 2002-2005 where he racked up 309 tackles for the Crimson Tide, which ranks fifth in program history. He also holds the program’s single-game record for tackles, recording 25 against Arkansas in 2003. Following his senior season, Ryans won the Lott Trophy and SEC Defensive Player of the Year, was a finalist for the Nagurski and Bednarik awards, and was named an unanimous 1st-Team All-American and All-SEC player.

The 2026 ballot features many prominent college football legends, such as quarterbacks Robert Griffin III, Josh Heupel, and Cam Newton. Other notable linebackers include Takeo Spikes, James Laurinaitis, Ron Rivera, and Manti Te’o.

Ryans is one of eight former National Football Foundation Scholar-Athletes on the ballot this year. He earned that distinct honor in 2005 after graduating from Alabama in 3.5 years while earning countless awards for his academic and philanthropic successes.

His NFF Scholar-Athlete status doesn’t guarantee a spot in the 2026 class. Since its inception in 1959, just 49 NFF Scholar-Athletes have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, though they include notable names like Peyton Manning and Tim Tebow.

Of course, Ryans went on to be the 33rd overall selection in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Texans. After a 10-year NFL career with Houston and the Philadelphia Eagles, Ryans entered the coaching ranks with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017. He worked his way up through the organization to become the Niners’ defensive coordinator in 2021 before becoming the Texans’ head coach in 2023.

The College Football Hall of Fame will announce its 2026 Hall of Fame Class in early 2026. The class will be officially inducted on December 8, 2026 at the 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner in Las Vegas.