Former Alabama center Ryan Kelly announced his retirement via social media after a 10-year NFL career on Friday morning.

 

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Kelly spent 10 seasons in the NFL, with the first nine coming with the Indianapolis Colts after the Colts drafted him with the 18th overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. The longtime NFL center became an immediate starter for the Colts as a 23-year-old rookie in 2016, and started all 129 games that he played in the NFL, with 121 of those starts coming with the Colts. He was named to the Pro Bowl four times in his career and was named a second-team All-Pro in 2020. Kelly signed a two-year, $18 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings during 2025 free agency, where he started eight games for the Vikings before suffering a concussion that kept him out the remainder of the year.

 

Kelly spent five seasons with the Crimson Tide from 2011 to 2015. He redshirted his first year in Tuscaloosa, and as a redshirt freshman, he came off the bench to back up All-American senior Barrett Jones in 10 games of the 2012 season. He was named to the 2012 SEC All-Freshman team alongside Amari Cooper and T.J. Yeldon. Kelly took over starting duties along the offensive line in 2013 and held that role until his departure after the 2016 national championship game.

 

During his collegiate career, Kelly won three national championships (2011, 2012, 2015) and earned the Remington Trophy and Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 2015. He was also named a consensus All-American and First-Team All-SEC in 2015.

 

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men’s basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.

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