Seven-time national champion coach Nick Saban headlines the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame ballot consisting of nearly 200 players and 43 coaches from the FBS and divisional ranks.
Saban retired in January from Alabama after a storied career in which he became the first coach to win national titles at two FBS schools (LSU and Alabama) since the inception of the AP Poll in 1936. Under Saban, Alabama finished in the top 10 of the final AP Poll in a record 16 consecutive seasons, including 12 top-five finishes.
Joining Saban on the ballot is another national title-winning coach: Urban Meyer.
Both Saban and Meyer started their head coaching careers in the MAC — Saban at Toledo, Meyer at Bowling Green — had short stints as NFL head coaches and won national titles at two schools.
Meyer won three national titles: two at Florida and one at Ohio State.
Besides Saban and Meyer, several players made the ballot in their first year of candidacy: Pitt defensive tackle Aaron Donald, LSU guard Alan Faneca, Tennessee defensive tackle John Henderson, Alabama running back Mark Ingram, Cal wide receiver/return specialist DeSean Jackson, Cal offensive lineman Alex Mack, West Virginia running back Steve Slaton and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o.
Notable players nominated from the FCS ranks included Towson punter Sean Landeta and Texas Southern defensive lineman Michael Strahan.
The ballot for the 2025 class was announced by the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame on Monday.
“Being in today’s elite group means an individual is truly among the greatest to have ever played the game, and we look forward to announcing the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class early next year,” National Football Foundation President & CEO Steve Hatchell said.
Other notable players on the ballot include Michigan State tackle Flozell Adams, Penn State running back Ki-Jana Carter, Tennessee wide receiver Willie Gault, Syracuse wide receiver/kick returner Marvin Harrison, Cal running back Marshawn Lynch, Florida State kicker Sebastian Janikowski, Virginia wide receiver Herman Moore and Kansas State defensive back Terence Newman.
The announcement of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class is expected to be made in January.
The 2025 College Football Hall of Fame class will be officially inducted during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 9, 2025, at the Bellagio Hotel & Resort in Las Vegas. The members of the Hall of Fame class also will be honored at their respective schools with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute during the 2025 season.
Here is a complete list of players and coaches from the FBS.
FBS Player Candidates
| Name | Name |
|---|---|
| Alabama RB Mark Ingram | Oklahoma QB Josh Heupel |
| Alabama OT Chris Samuels | Ole Miss OL Terrence Metcalf |
| Arizona State K Luis Zendejas | Ole Miss OL Michael Oher |
| Arkansas DT Wayne Martin | Oregon RB Kenjon Barner |
| Auburn LB Gregg Carr | Oregon DT Haloti Ngata |
| Auburn G Ed King | Penn State RB Ki-Jana Carter |
| Auburn LB Takeo Spikes | Penn State RB D.J. Dozier |
| Boise State QB Kellen Moore | Pitt QB Matt Cavanaugh |
| Cal WR/PR DeSean Jackson | Pitt DT Aaron Donald |
| Cal RB Marshawn Lynch | Pitt Craig Heyward |
| Cal OL Alex Mack | Purdue WR Taylor Stubblefield |
| Colorado DB Chris Hudson | Rice WR Jarett Dillard |
| Florida DL Alex Brown | SMU DB Russell Carter |
| Florida DT Brad Culpepper | Syracuse WR/KR Marvin Harrison |
| Florida State K Sebastian Janikowski | TCU RB Kenneth Davis |
| Florida State WR Peter Warrick | Tennessee WR Willie Gault |
| Fresno State WR/KR Bernard Berrian | Tennessee DT John Henderson |
| Georgia RB Garrison Hearst | Tennessee WR Larry Seivers |
| Georgia DT Richard Seymour | Texas DB Michael Huff |
| Kansas State DB Terence Newman | Texas OL Dan Neil |
| Illinois LB Kevin Hardy | Texas Tech RB Byron Hanspard |
| Illinois LB Simeon Rice | Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell |
| Indiana RB Vaughn Dunbar | UCLA RB Gaston Green |
| Indiana QB Antwaan Randle El | UCLA K John Lee |
| Iowa TE Dallas Clark | UCLA LB Ken Norton Jr |
| LSU G Alan Faneca | USC G Jeff Bregel |
| Miami QB Ken Dorsey | USC DB Mark Carrier |
| Miami LB Darrin Smith | USC DB Dennis Thurman |
| Miami DB Sean Taylor | Utah DB Eric Weddle |
| Michigan LB Erick Anderson | Virginia WR Herman Moore |
| Michigan State OT Flozell Adams | Virginia Tech C Jim Pyne |
| Minnesota Greg Eslinger | Virginia Tech QB Michael Vick |
| Missouri DL Justin Smith | Washington C Olin Kreutz |
| NC State LB Levar Fisher | Washington State QB Ryan Leaf |
| Notre Dame DB Todd Lyght | Wisconsin RB Montee Ball |
| Notre Dame LB Manti Te’o | West Virginia DB Aaron Beasley |
| Ohio State LB James Laurinaitis | West Virginia RB Steve Slaton |
| Oklahoma LB Rocky Calmus | Wyoming WR Ryan Yarborough |
| Oklahoma DB George Cumby |
FBS Coach Candidates
| Coach | Schools |
|---|---|
| Larry Blakeney | Troy |
| Jim Carlen | West Virginia |
| Pete Cawthon Sr. | Austin College, Texas Tech |
| Larry Coker | Miami, UTSA |
| Ralph Friedgen | Maryland |
| Urban Meyer | Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, Ohio State |
| Darryl Rogers | CS East Bay, Fresno St., San Jose St., Michigan St., Arizona St. |
| Nick Saban | Toledo, Michigan State, LSU, Alabama |
| Tommy Tuberville | Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech, Cincinnati |
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