Eighteen First Team All-America players and four coaches will be inducted during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner
The College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 celebrates the extraordinary achievements of 18 legendary players and four renowned coaches, representing the pinnacle of collegiate football excellence. Announced on ESPN2’s “College Football Live,” this year’s inductees include athletes from a wide range of eras and programs, showcasing the rich history and enduring legacy of the sport. Among the honorees is Notre Dame quarterback Terry Hanratty, whose groundbreaking performances in the 1960s helped redefine the passing game under Hall of Fame coach Ara Parseghian. These remarkable individuals, whose contributions have shaped the game on and off the field, will officially be enshrined during the NFF Annual Awards Dinner in December, ensuring their legacies live on in college football history.
(Press release courtesy of the National Football Foundation.)
IRVING, Texas (Jan. 15, 2025) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class during “College Football Live” on ESPN2.
2025 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS
PLAYERS:
· Montee Ball, RB (2009-12) – University of Wisconsin
· Gregg Carr, LB (1981-84) – Auburn University
· Blake Elliott, WR (2000-03) – Saint John’s University (MN)
· Greg Eslinger, C (2002-05) – University of Minnesota
· Terry Hanratty, QB (1966-68) – University of Notre Dame
· Graham Harrell, QB (2005-08) – Texas Tech University
· John Henderson, DT (1999-2001) – University of Tennessee
· Michael Huff, DB (2002-05) – University of Texas
· Jim Kleinsasser, TE (1995-98) – University of North Dakota
· Alex Mack, OL (2005-08) – University of California
· Terrence Metcalf, OL (1997, 1999-2001) – University of Mississippi
· Haloti Ngata, DT (2002, 2004-05) – University of Oregon
· Steve Slaton, RB (2005-07) – West Virginia University
· Darrin Smith, LB (1989-92) – University of Miami
· Michael Strahan, DL (1989-92) – Texas Southern University
· Dennis Thurman, DB (1974-77) – University of Southern California
· Michael Vick, QB (1999-2000) – Virginia Tech
· Ryan Yarborough, WR (1990-93) – University of Wyoming
COACHES:
· Larry Blakeney – 178-113-1 (61.1%): Troy University (1991-2014)
· Larry Korver – 212-77-6 (72.9%): Northwestern College [IA] (1967-94)
· Urban Meyer – 187-32-0 (85.4%): Bowling Green State University (2001-02): University of Utah (2003-04); University of Florida (2005-10); Ohio State University (2012-18)
· Nick Saban – 292-71-1 (80.4%): University of Toledo (1990); Michigan State University (1995-99); LSU (2000-04); University of Alabama (2007-23)
The 18 First Team All-America players and four standout coaches in the 2025 Class were selected from the national ballot of 77 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 101 players and 34 coaches from the divisional ranks.
“We are thrilled to announce the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class,” said Archie Manning, NFF Chairman and a 1989 College Football Hall of Famer from Mississippi. “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 Hall of Fame.”
The 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class will officially be inducted during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 9, 2025, at Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Tickets are available at https://NFF2025.givesmart.com.
The inductees will also be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the fall. Their accomplishments will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Each inductee will receive a custom ring created by Jostens, the official and exclusive supplier of NFF rings.
“We want to thank ESPN for the opportunity to announce the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class on College Football Live today,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “Today’s announcement shines a light on the accomplishments of some of college football’s greatest legends, and we are grateful to everyone who has played a role in today’s announcement.”
2025 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS NOTES
PLAYERS:
- 4 unanimous First Team All-Americans (Eslinger, Huff, Slaton, Thurman)
- 7 consensus First Team All-Americans (Ball—2, Carr, Hanratty, Henderson—2, Metcalf, Ngata, Thurman)
- 8 multi-year First Team All-Americans (Ball, Elliott, Eslinger, Henderson, Kleinsasser, Smith, Thurman, Yarborough)
- 8 winners of college football major awards (Ball—Doak Walker, Elliott—Gagliardi Trophy, Eslinger—Outland and Rimington, Harrell—Unitas, Henderson—Outland, Huff—Thorpe, Mack—Campbell, Strahan—I-AA Defensive Player of the Year and Black College Defensive Player of the Year)
- 5 members of national championship teams (Elliott, Hanratty, Huff, Smith—2, Thurman)
- 7 conference players of the year (Ball, Elliott—2, Henderson, Ngata, Smith, Strahan—2, Vick)
- 11 members of conference championship teams (Ball—3, Carr, Elliott—3, Harrell, Huff, Kleinsasser, Mack, Slaton—2, Smith—2, Thurman—2, Vick)
- 8 players who still hold school records (Ball, Elliott, Harrell, Huff, Slaton, Strahan, Vick, Yarborough)
- 9 played for College Football Hall of Fame coaches (Carr—Pat Dye, Elliott—John Gagliardi, Hanratty—Ara Parseghian, Henderson—Phillip Fulmer, Huff—Mack Brown, Ngata—Mike Bellotti, Smith—Dennis Erickson, Thurman—John McKay and John Robinson, Vick—Frank Beamer)
- 5 NFF National Scholar-Athletes (Carr, Eslinger, Harrell, Mack, Smith), including 1 Campbell Trophy recipient (Mack)
- 6 first-round NFL draft picks (Ball, Henderson, Huff, Mack, Ngata, Vick), including 1 first-overall selection (Vick)
- 11 offensive players (Ball, Elliott, Eslinger, Hanratty, Harrell, Kleinsasser, Mack, Metcalf, Slaton, Vick, Yarborough)
- 7 defensive players (Carr, Henderson, Huff, Ngata, Smith, Strahan, Thurman)
- 6 decades represented: 1960s—Hanratty; 1970s—Thurman; 1980s—Carr; 1990s—Kleinsasser, Smith, Strahan, Vick, Yarborough; 2000s—Elliott, Eslinger, Harrell, Henderson, Huff, Mack, Metcalf, Ngata, Slaton; 2010s—Ball
- 2 schools with their first-ever Hall of Fame player (Saint John’s [MN]—Elliott, Texas Southern—Strahan)
COACHES:
- 12 national championships (Korver—2, Meyer—3 [Florida-2, Ohio State-1], Saban—7 [Alabama-6, LSU-1])
- 28 conference championships (Blakeney—8, Korver—1, Meyer—7, Saban—12)
- 2 coaches with the most wins in school history (Blakeney—Troy, Korver—Northwestern College [IA])
- 63 bowl/postseason appearances (Blakeney—5 bowls and 7 playoff appearances, Korver—11 playoff appearances, Meyer—15 bowls, Saban—25 bowls)
- 156 First Team All-Americans coached (Blakeney—14, Korver—32, Meyer—44, Saban—66)
- 12 conference coach of the year honors (Blakeney—4, Meyer—3, Saban—5)
- 2 schools with their first-ever Hall of Fame coach or player inductee (Northwestern College [IA]—Korver, Troy—Blakeney)
SELECTION CRITERIA
1. First and foremost, a player must have received First Team All-America recognition by a selector recognized by the NCAA and utilized to comprise its consensus All-America teams.
2. A player becomes eligible for consideration by the NFF’s Honors Court 10 full seasons after his final year of intercollegiate football played.
3. While each nominee’s football achievements in college are of prime consideration, his post football record as a citizen is also weighed. He must have proven himself worthy as a citizen, carrying the ideals of football forward into his relations with his community. Consideration may also be given for academic honors and whether or not the candidate earned a college degree.
4. Players must have played their last year of intercollegiate football within the last 50 years*. For example, to be eligible for the 2025 ballot, the player must have played his last year in 1975 or thereafter. In addition, current professional players and/or coaches are not eligible until retirement.
5. A coach becomes eligible three full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he is at least 70 years old. 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.
6. Nominations may only be submitted by the current athletics director, head coach or sports information director (SID) of a potential candidate’s collegiate institution.
* Players that do not comply with the 50-year rule may still be eligible for consideration by the Football Bowl Subdivision and Divisional Veterans Committees. Veterans Committee candidates must still meet First Team All-America requirement.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME QUICK FACTS
- When the 2025 Hall of Fame Class is officially inducted in December, only 1,111 players and 237 coaches will have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.78 million who have played or coached the game during the past 155 years. In other words, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of the individuals who have played/coached the game have earned this distinction.
- Founded in 1947, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame inducted its first class of inductees in 1951. The first class included 32 players and 22 coaches, including Illinois’ Red Grange, Notre Dame’s Knute Rockne, Iowa’s Duke Slater, Coach Amos Alonzo Stagg and Carlisle (PA)’s Jim Thorpe.
- 326 schools are represented with at least one College Football Hall of Famer.
- Induction for the 2025 Class will take place Dec. 9, 2025, during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas.
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TERRY HANRATTY
University of Notre Dame
Quarterback (1966-68)
Terry Hanratty set the standard as a precision quarterback in the 1960s, helping usher in an era of high-powered passing under Hall of Fame Coach Ara Parseghian and cementing his legacy as one of Notre Dame’s all-time greats. The Butler, Pennsylvania, native now becomes the 50th Fighting Irish player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame. A consensus First Team All-American in 1968, Hanratty led Notre Dame to a 24-4-2 record during his three years under center in South Bend, including a share of the national title in 1966. The Irish finished the 1966 season 9-0-1, tying Michigan State in the “Game of the Century” with Hanratty sidelined with an injury. The Irish won 83.3 percent of their games with Hanratty as the starting signal caller, and the Irish boasted a final ranking of No. 5 or better during all three years of his tenure. Hanratty finished third in the Heisman voting in 1968, ninth in 1967, and sixth in 1966. Paired with wide receiver Jim Seymour as part of the duo dubbed “Fling and Cling,” Hanratty set Notre Dame career records for pass completions (304), passing yards (4,152), and touchdown passes (27) during his time in South Bend. He added 16 touchdowns and 586 yards on the ground. His 63 pass attempts against Purdue in 1967 still rank second in school annals, and his 159.7 passing yards per game land him at No. 9 in the school record books. His pass attempts per game in a season (28.1) and pass completions per game (16.6) stood as school records for more than 25 years. In addition to Coach Parseghian, Hanratty will now join teammates Jim Lynch, Alan Page and Joe Theismann as members of the College Football Hall of Fame. Drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft by Pittsburgh, Hanratty played seven years with the Steelers, including winning two Super Bowls, before finishing his pro career after one year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976. Following his football career, Hanratty transitioned to Wall Street as a stock trader. He worked at several firms before a 24-year stint at Sanford C. Bernstein in New York City and then shifting to the hedge fund business at Cross Shore Capital Management LLC. Hanratty’s son, Conor, played offensive line for the Irish from 2012-14. Active in the community, Hanratty served as the Allegheny County chairman of the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, and he has participated in the Jerry Lewis Telethon to support Muscular Dystrophy as well as NFL events to raise funds for children with cancer and the blind.