Days before the National Championship Game that pits the University of Miami vs the University of Indiana, the College Football Hall of Fame announced their Class of 2026. The 22-man class consists of 18 players and four coaches, and will be officially inducted on December 8, 2026, in Las Vegas.
The Class of 2026 is:
Athletes:
Jerry Azumah, New Hampshire, Running Back, 1995-98. Azumah was a two-time All-American who won the 1998 Walter Payton Award. He is still UNH’s all-time leader in Rushing Yards (6,193) and All-Purpose Yards (8,376), and also won two conference Offensive Player of the Year Awards. He also makes history as the first player from UNH to enter the College Hall. Azumah went on to play seven seasons with the Chicago Bears and went to one Pro Bowl.
Ki-Jana Carter, Penn State, Running Back, 1992-94. A unanimous All-American in 1994, Carter was the Rose Bowl MVP and Heisman runner-up that same year. Carter rushed for 2,829 Yards and 34 TDs and was also twice named to the All-Big Ten. He played eight years in the NFL (Cincinnati, Washington, and New Orleans), and is now the 21st player from the Nittany Lions to enter the Hall. Carter is also a member of the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.
Bruce Collie, Texas at Arlington, Offensive Tackle, 1981-84. Collie was a three-time All-SLC Selection. He later played for two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and is the first player from Texas at Arlington to enter the Hall.
George Cumby, Oklahoma, Defensive Back, 1976-79. Cumby was twice an All-American, with the second being unanimous. He was a two-time Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year and helped lead the Sooners to four league titles. Individually, he recorded 437 Tackles, and later played eight years in the NFL (Green Bay, Buffalo, and Philadelphia).
Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh, Defensive Tackle, 2010-13. Donald was a unanimous All-American in 2013, where he won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and captured the Bronko Nagurski Award, Chuck Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award, Outland Trophy, and Bill Willis Trophy. He is Pittsburgh’s all-time leader in Tackles for Loss (66). He later won three Defensive Player of the Year Awards, won a Super Bowl, and was chosen for eight Pro Bowls in a ten-year period spent exclusively with the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams. Donald becomes the 21st Pitt Panther to enter the hallowed halls of Atlanta.
Marvin Harrison, Syracuse, Kick Returner & Wide Receiver, 2002-05. Harrison compiled 2,718 Yards and 20 Touchdowns, was a three-time All-Big East Selection, and was instrumental in Syracuse’s 1993 Fiesta Bowl and 1996 Gator Bowl wins. He would later become a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee in a career spent entirely with the Colts, where he also won a Super Bowl, was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary Team, earned eight Pro Bowls, and recorded 14,580 Yards and 128 Touchdowns.
Garrison Hearst, Georgia, Running Back, 1990-2092. In 1992, Hearst was a unanimous All-American, the SEC Player of the Year, the Doak Walker Award winner, and finished third in the Heisman voting. Hearst rushed for 3,232 Yards and 33 Touchdowns for Georgia, and in an NFL career that spanned ten seasons (Phoenix/Arizona, Cincinnati, San Francisco, and Denver) compiled over 10,000 Yards from Scrimmage with 30 TDs.
Chris Hudson, Colorado, Defensive Back, 1991-94. Hudson won the 1994 Jim Thorpe Award and was a three-time All-Big Eight Selection. He had 141 Tackles and 15 Interceptions for the Buffaloes. He would have 11 picks in the NFL, most of which were with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Hudson becomes the 11th Colorado player to join the Hall.
Mark Ingram, Alabama, Running Back, 2008-10. Ingram made history in 2009 as the first-ever Crimson Tide player to win the Heisman Trophy off of his nation-leading 1,658 Rushing Yards and 17 Touchdowns. That year, he was also a Unanimous All-America, a First Team All-SEC Selection, and the SEC Offensive Player of the Year. Ingram also led Alabama to a BCS National Championship. Professionally, he rushed for 8,111 Yards and 65 Touchdowns in a career spent mainly with the New Orleans Saints, and he is the 22nd Alabama player to gain induction.
Olin Kreutz, Washington, Center, 1995-97. Kreutz was twice named a First Team All-Pac 10 Selection and was the 1997 Morris Trophy winner. In the NFL, Kreutz went to six Pro Bowls (2001-06) and played 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears, plus one with the New Orleans Saints. With this selection, the Huskies now have 12 Hall of Fame members.
James Laurinaitis, Ohio State, Linebacker, 2005-08. A three-time All-American, Laurinaitis was a unanimous selection in 2007. Laurinaitis was a three-time All-Big Ten Selection, a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and the recipient of the 2006 Bronko Nagurski and 2007 Butkus awards, as well as a two-time Jack Lambert Trophy winner. Laurinaitis had 375 Tackles, 24.5 Tackles for Loss and 13 Sacks for Ohio State, and he played eight years in the NFL, seven of which were with the St. Louis Rams, and is the 29th Buckeye to join the Hall.
Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois, Quarterback, 2010-13. Lynch was one of the most prolific rushing Quarterbacks in college, compiling 4,321 Yards on the ground and setting the record in a season with 1,920 in 2013. That year, he was third in Heisman voting, won his second MAC Offensive Player of the Year, and brought NIU to the Orange Bowl. He also threw for 6,209 Yards and 51 TDs as a Husky, and later won a Grey Cup wth the Edmonton Eskimos. This marks the second player from NIU to enter the Hall of Fame.
Herman Moore, Virginia, Wide Receiver, 1988-90. Moore was sixth in Heisman voting in 1990 and holds the average Yards per Reception record with 22.0. The former First Team All-ACC WR is still the Cavaliers’ all-time record in Receiving Yards (2,504) and Touchdowns (27). He went on to have a successful career with the Detroit Lions, where he was a three-time First Team All-Pro, a two-time Receptions leader, and compiled 9,174 Yards and 62 TDs, and later would be named to the Detroit Lions Ring of Honor. The Cavaliers now have six former players inducted.
Terence Newman, Kansas State, Defensive Back, 1998-2002. Newman was a Unanimous All-American and a First-Team All-Big 12 player, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and the Jim Thorpe Award winner. He had a lengthy NFL career, recording 42 Interceptions playing for Dallas, Cincinnati, and Minnesota, and is the fifth Wildcat to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
Bob Novogratz, United States Military Academy, Guard & Defensive Lineman, 1957-58. Novogratz played on both sides of the ball and was a key part of the undefeated 1958 Team. He won the Knute Rockne Lineman of the Year Award in 1958. Army now has 24 College Football Hall of Fame inductees.
Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska, Defensive Tackle, 2005-09. In 2009, Suh had one of the most phenomenal years by a Defensive Tackle in college history. That year, Suh was fourth in Heisman voting, was a Unanimous All-American, won the AP College Player of the Year, Outland Trophy, Lombardi Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Bill Willis Trophy, and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He had 24 Sacks, 49.5 Tackles for Loss, and has already had his number retired by the Cornhuskers. Suh would play 13 years in the NFL, with his best seasons coming in Detroit, where he won the Defensive Rookie of the Year. He also played for the Miami Dolphins, the Los Angeles Rams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (where he won a Super Bowl), and the Philadelphia Eagles, was a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and a 2010s All-Decade Selection. Suh is the 21st Cornhusker to join the Hall.
Peter Warrick, Florida State, Wide Receiver, 1996-99. Warrick was a two-time All-American, with the second one (1999) being unanimous. He led his team to a National Championship and won the Sugar Bowl MVP. He finished his career with 3,517 Receiving Yards and 32 Touchdowns and was also twice an All-ACC Selection. He played six years in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks and is the 10th Seminole to enter the Hall.
Eric Weddle, Utah, Defensive Back, 2003-06. In 2005 & 2006, Weddle was an All-Mountain West Selection and the conference's Defensive Player of the Year. He had 18 Interceptions for the Utes and helped them win the 2005 Fiesta Bowl. Weddle went on to have a successful career in the NFL, where he was a six-time Pro Bowl selection and a two-time First Team All-Pro, and would ultimately win a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams. He also played for San Diego and Baltimore, and had 29 career Interceptions and is the second Ute to become a College Football Hall of Famer.
Coaches:
Jim Margraff, Johns Hopkins (MD) 1990-2018, 221-89-3. Margraff led the Blue Jays to 14 Centennial Conference Championships, and he was named a four-time Centennial Coach of the Year. He is also a one-time AFCA NCAA Division III Coach of the Year.
Gary Patterson, TCU, 2000-21, 181-79, 11-6 in Bowls. Patterson is the winningest coach in TCU history, and won 11 Bowl Games and five conference championships. He also secured two AP Coach of the Year Awards.
Chris Petersen, Boise State 2006-13, Washington 2014-19, 147-38, 7-6 in Bowls. Petersen brings a scintillating 0.7945 winning percentage to his resume, having won seven conference championships and seven bowls.
Ken Sparks, Carson-Newman, 1980-2016, 338-99-2. Sparks led Carson-Newman to five National Championships and 21 SAC Championships.
We here at Notinhalloffame would like to congratulate the incoming members of the College Football Hall of Fame.
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