AU's Carr, Bama's Langham, Samuels on College Football Hall of Fame ballot
Alabama’s Antonio Langham is among 80 players on the ballot released Monday for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. (Contributed)
By TIM GAYLE
Former Auburn linebacker Gregg Carr and former Alabama standouts Antonio Langham and Chris Samuels are among the 80 players on the ballot released on Monday for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announcement included the names of 80 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 96 players and 33 coaches from the divisional ranks.
Carr came to Auburn in Pay Dye’s first year (1981) and immediately became the cornerstone of the Tigers’ defense. He led Auburn in tackles in 1982 (125) and 1983 (136) and is second all-time in career tackles with 453 and in solo tackles with 289. He was a three-time academic all-Southeastern Conference, was voted a team captain in 1984 and was a consensus All-American that year.
Carr was honored by his school as an SEC Legend during Auburn’s appearance in the SEC Championship Game in 2010 and was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
Langham helped lead the Crimson Tide to the 1992 national championship and remains the school’s all-time leader in career interceptions with 19. He was a unanimous first team All-America selection in 1993 and was the winner of the Jim Thorpe Award, presented to college football’s top defensive back. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.
Samuels is one of Alabama’s most acclaimed left tackles in history, a unanimous first team All-America selection in 1999 as well as the winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy presented by the Southeastern Conference and the Outland Trophy. He did not allow a sack in 1999 and was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
Other Southeastern Conference players on the 2023 ballot include Tennessee defensive back Eric Berry, Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch, Florida defensive tackle Brad Culpepper, Tennessee receiver Willie Gault, Georgia running back Garrison Hearst, LSU linebacker Bradie James, Florida tailback Errict Rhett, Tennessee receiver Larry Seivers and Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.
Former Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel, now the head coach at Tennessee, is on the ballot as well.
To be considered for the College Hall of Fame, a player must have received first team All-America recognition. While his football achievements in college are of prime consideration, his post-football record as a citizen is also weighed. He must have played within the last 50 years, but 10 years after his last game.
Other familiar names on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot include Pittsburgh running back Craig Heyward, Miami linebacker Ray Lewis, Cal running back Marshawn Lynch, North Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers, USC running back Reggie Bush, Florida State kicker Sabastian Janikowski, Utah quarterback Alex Smith and Cal linebacker Ron Rivera, who is better known today as a head coach in the National Football League.
A coach becomes eligible three full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he is at least 70 years of age. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He must have been a head football coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.
Coaches on the ballot include former Troy coach Larry Blakeney, along with Larry Coker, Ralph Friedgen, Paul Johnson, Mark Richt, Darryl Rogers and Frank Solich. Blakeney, a former Auburn quarterback and Auburn assistant coach, was on the ballot last year as well.
Each year, approximately 15 candidates who are not selected for the Hall of Fame but received significant votes in the final selection will be named automatic holdovers and will bypass the district screening process and automatically appear on the ballot the following year. Additionally, the Veterans Committee may make recommendations to the Honors Court for exceptions that allow for the induction of players who played more than 50 years ago.
Auburn has had eight players and four coaches inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The most recent induction was Ed Dyas in 2009. Carr would be only the second defensive player from Auburn in the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Tracy Rocker (2004).
Alabama has had 22 former players and three coaches inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The most recent induction was defensive end E.J. Junior in 2020. Samuels would be the first offensive lineman from Alabama in the College Football Hall of Fame since Billy Neighbors’ induction in 2003.
Of the 5.54 million individuals who have played college football, only 1,056 players have earned induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, or less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of those who have played the game during the past 152 years. From the coaching ranks, 226 individuals have achieved Hall of Fame distinction.
The announcement of the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2023, with specific details to be announced in the future. The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 65th National Football Foundation awards dinner on Dec. 5, 2023.