Yahoo Sports Reggie Bush, Andrew Luck, Marshawn Lynch among first-time nominees for College Football Hall of Fame
Reggie Bush, Andrew Luck and Marshawn Lynch are among the first-time nominees on the ballot for the next class of the College Football Hall of Fame.
The National Football Foundation unveiled the list of candidates for the 2022 class on Wednesday morning. It’s a list that includes 78 players and seven coaches from the FBS level, as well as 99 players and 33 coaches from the lower ranks of college football.
The ballot was sent to National Football Foundation members and current College Football Hall of Famers on Wednesday. Once their votes are tabulated, they are submitted to the NFF’s Honors Court, which will then select the class of 2022. The class will be announced in early 2022 and formally inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6, 2022
Bush, Luck and Lynch highlight a group of FBS players appearing on the ballot for the first time. Other first-timers include Michael Crabtree, Warrick Dunn, Toby Gerhart, Graham Harrell, Jeremy Maclin and Peter Warrick.
The inclusion of Bush is notable as his 10-year NCAA-mandated disassociation with USC came to an end last year. Bush won the Heisman Trophy at USC back in 2005 but was forced to forfeit the award after the NCAA ruled that he had received impermissible benefits while playing for the Trojans.
Additionally, there are plenty of big-time names who remain Hall of Fame candidates from past ballots. Those include Champ Bailey, Tim Couch, Ken Dorsey, Dwight Freeney, Tony Gonzalez, Marvin Harrison, James Laurinaitis, Julius Peppers, Antwaan Randle El, Simeon Rice, Rashaan Salaam and Troy Vincent.
Larry Coker and Gary Pinkel are among the FBS coaches on the ballot.
To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, a player must have received first-team All-America honors by an organization recognized by the NCAA. Players first become eligible 10 full seasons after their final year of college football.
Coaches become eligible three full seasons after they retire or immediately upon retirement if the coach is at least 70 years old. Active coaches 75 years or older are also eligible. The coach must have been a head coach for at least 10 years, coached at least 100 games and have had at least a .600 winning percentage.
You can view the full list of nominees here.
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