2026 College Football Hall of Fame class: Mark Ingram, Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh headline inductees
The selections include a Heisman Trophy winner and a five-time national champion
By
Carter Bahns
•
2 min read
The National Football Foundation announced on Wednesday the 22 inductees who will be enshrined as members of the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class. Legendary players, including Mark Ingram, and coaches, including Chris Petersen, are among those selected from the ballot, and they will be inducted during a ceremony on Dec. 8.
The 2026 class features 18 players and four coaches. Among them are eight major award winners including Ingram, who won the 2009 Heisman Trophy, and 10 unanimous first-team All-Americans. The coaches combined for 48 conference championships, and former Carson-Newman coach Ken Sparks accounts for all five of the group's national championships.
"Each of these legends ranks among the absolute best to have ever played or coached the game, and we look forward to adding their incredible accomplishments to those permanently enshrined in the NFF Hall of Fame," NFF chairman Archie Manning said in a release.
Players elected to College Football Hall of Fame
| Name | Position | School | Years Played |
|---|---|---|---|
Jerry Azumah | RB | 1995-98 | |
Ki-Jana Carter | RB | 1991-94 | |
Bruce Collie | OT | Texas-Arlington | 1981-84 |
George Cumby | LB | 1976-79 | |
Aaron Donald | DT | 2010-13 | |
Marvin Harrison | KR/WR | 1992-95 | |
Garrison Hearst | RB | 1990-92 | |
DB | 1991-94 | ||
Mark Ingram | RB | 2008-10 | |
Olin Kreutz | C | 1995-97 | |
James Laurinaitis | LB | 2005-08 | |
AP/QB | 2010-13 | ||
Herman Moore | WR | 1988-90 | |
Terence Newman | CB | 1999-2002 | |
Bob Novogratz | OG | 1957-58 | |
Ndamukong Suh | DT | 2006-09 | |
Peter Warrick | WR | 1996-99 | |
Eric Weddle | S | 2003-06 |
Ingram and Warrick won national championships at Alabama and Florida State, respectively, while all but four players secured at least one conference title. Numerous inductees enjoyed prolific professional careers at the end of their college days, and 10 of them were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Donald and Suh not only established themselves as two of the best players in their schools' histories but also stand among the greatest defensive linemen in recent memory at both the college and pro levels.
Coaches elected to College Football Hall of Fame
| Name | School | Years Coached | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
Jim Margraff | Johns Hopkins | 1990-2018 | 221-89-3 (71.1%) |
Gary Patterson | 2000-21 | 181-79 (69.6%) | |
Chris Petersen | Boise State, Washington | 2006-13, 2014-19 | 147-38 (79.5%) |
Ken Sparks | Carson-Newman | 1980-2016 | 338-99-2 (77.2%) |
Petersen redefined what is possible at the Group of Five level with his success at Boise State, which included the legendary 2007 Fiesta Bowl win. He later achieved greatness at Washington and is the only coach in the 2026 Hall of Fame class to reach the College Football Playoff.
Each of the other inductees ranks first all-time in victories at their respective schools. Patterson is among them and is the most recent coach to hold an on-field job. He enjoyed a legendary run at TCU from 2000-21, which featured two National Coach of the Year award selections, 11 double-digit-win seasons and numerous top-10 rankings across stints in four different conferences.
