Former Alabama football great DeMeco Ryans to interview for NFL head coaching job
Alabama football legend DeMeco Ryans is making a name for himself as a coach in the NFL. At just 37 years old, Ryans worked his way through the 49ers coaching system after his retirement from playing in 2015.
In 2017, the team gave Ryans his first shot at coaching in the NFL — hiring the former All-Pro as their defensive quality control coach. Now, Ryans is a rising star as the San Francisco defensive coordinator.
After a great first season as the leader of the team’s defense, Ryans has shown his stuff to the world during the playoffs. First, his defense stifled the Cowboys offense in the Wild card round. Then, the 49ers followed the great performance with a dominating one against the Green Bay Packers.
Now, the rest of the NFL wants to get their chance to talk to Ryans. As teams look for their next coach, the San Francisco defensive coordinator is getting interest from multiple teams.
“#49ers DC DeMeco Ryans interviews for the #Vikings head coaching job on Sunday,” revealed NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
After firing Mike Zimmer, the Vikings are searching for the next leader of their franchise. Evidently, they believe Ryans fits the bill. However, they aren’t alone in their interest in the 49ers rising star.
“ESPN reported that the #Raiders plan to interview 49ers DC DeMeco Ryans as part of their head coach search,” tweeted Tashan Reed of The Athletic. “Ryans, Patriots inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo & interim coach Rich Bisaccia are the only known candidates for now.”
As you can see, the Raiders are also interested in Ryans’ meteoric rise. As the 49ers go deeper into the playoffs, the interest in Ryans will only go higher. His time in San Francisco is borrowed, as the former Alabama linebacker could be on to bigger things.
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Furthermore, teams will have to wait for DeMeco Ryans if they wish to hire him. With a shocking victory over the Green Bay Packers, Ryans now turns his focus to the NFC Championship Game.
With either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Los Angeles Rams on deck, Ryans will have his hands full preparing his team. However, his history shows that no matter who the opponent is, the 49ers defense will be prepared.
Many expected the 49ers defense to take a step back due to the departure of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Luckily, DeMeco Ryans has been up the the challenge. Unfortunately for the 49ers, other teams are now looking to steal their rising star — but that’s just how it goes in the NFL.