COLLEGE FOOTBALL HOF: Saban on ballot for first time; joins players from Tide, Tigers

Running back and Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram was one of three individuals representing Alabama on the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame ballot, released on Monday. (Courtesy Unv. Alabama Athletic Dept.)

By TIM GAYLE

Five players, three from Auburn and two from Alabama, are listed among this year’s candidates for the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame, along with former coaches Nick Saban and Tommy Tuberville. 

Included on the ballot are Auburn linebackers Gregg Carr (1981-84) and Takeo Spikes (1995-97), along with offensive guard Ed King (1988-90). 

Alabama’s candidates are Heisman winner Mark Ingram (2008-10) and Outland Trophy winner Chris Samuels (1996-99).

“It’s an enormous honor to just be on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot considering more than 5.7 million people have played college football and only 1,093 players have been inducted,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “The Hall's requirement of being a first-team All-American creates a much smaller pool of about 1,500 individuals who are even eligible. Being in today’s elite group means an individual is truly among the greatest to have ever played the game.”

Other familiar names on the ballot include Florida defensive lineman Alex Brown, TCA running back Kenneth Davis, Penn State running back D.J. Dozier, Tennessee receiver Willie Gault, Georgia tailback Garrison Hearst, Tennessee defensive lineman John Henderson, Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel, Pittsburgh running back Craig Heyward, FSU placekicker Sebastian Janikowski, Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf, California tailback Marshawn Lynch, Ole Miss linemen Terrence Metcalf and Michael Oher, Virginia receiver Herman Moore, Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick, FSU receiver Peter Warrick, Arizona State kicker Luis Zendejas and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o.

Coaches on the list include Troy’s Larry Blakeney, Tuberville and Saban. 

Candidates must be first-team All America, have completed college eligibility 10 years earlier and must have played in the last 50 years. Coaches become eligible three years after retirement or immediately if they are 70 years of age. They must have coached at least 10 years, at least 100 games and have a .600 winning percentage.

As Auburn’s leading tackler for three seasons, Gregg Carr was the SEC’s most honored athlete in 1984 and is considered one of the finest linebackers in school history. As a senior, he was a consensus All-American, National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete and one of the NCAA’s Top Five Student-Athletes. He was nominated for the Lombardi Award in 1984.

King became the third player in Auburn history to be named an All American as a sophomore when he was named to the Scripps Howard, Walter Camp and Football News All-America teams in 1989. He was a consensus All America selection in 1990 and passed up his senior season to enter the 1991 

NFL draft. He was a second round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns. He led the Tigers to their first back-to-back 10-win seasons in school history (1988, 1989).

Spikes led the Tigers with 136 tackles in 1997 and was a first team All American and a two-time all-SEC selection. He recorded 79 tackles in his last six games and was a Butkus semifinalist two straight years, ranking in the school’s top 10 with 331 career tackles. He led Auburn to a berth in the

1997 SEC title game and was the most valuable player in the 1998 Peach Bowl. Spikes passed up his senior season to enter the 1998 NFL draft.

Ingram was a unanimous first-team All American in 2009 and the Crimson Tide’s first-ever Heisman Trophy winner. He was named the offensive most valuable player in the 2010 BCS National Championship after posting 116 rush yards and two touchdowns. He was the 2009 SEC Offensive Player of the Year after leading the conference in rushing (1,658) and total touchdowns (20).

Samuels was a unanimous first-team All American in 1999 and the Outland Trophy recipient. He was a two-time all-SEC selection who led the Crimson Tide to a 1999 SEC Championship Game victory over Florida and a berth in the Orange Bowl. He won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 1999 after not allowing a sack the entire 1999 season.

Blakeney, the all-time winningest coach in Sun Belt Conference history, returns to the ballot in 2024. He was a four-time conference coach of the year who led the Trojans to eight conference titles, five in the Sun Belt and three Southland, as well as seven FCS playoff appearances in eight seasons. He led Troy to four bowl games, including wins at the 2006 and 2010 New Orleans Bowl.

Saban boasts the most national championships in FBS history, winning four BCS titles and three CFP

championships during his career. He is the first coach in history to win a national title with two different FBS schools (LSU, Alabama) since the inception of the AP Poll in 1936 and finished his career with the sixth-most wins (292) all-time in FBS history. He led Alabama to a top 10 final ranking in 16 consecutive seasons, including 12 top-five finishes, and won 11 conference titles and 19 bowl games overall.

Tuberville was the 2004 national coach of the year after leading Auburn to an SEC title and a perfect 13-0 season. He led the Tigers to four division crowns, two SEC championship game appearances and ranks 10th in conference history with 64 SEC regular season wins. 

The winners will be honored at the 66th NFF awards dinner on Dec. 10 at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.