The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced the names of the 2026 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame on Monday, June 2, featuring 13 collegiate players with ties to the New Orleans Saints.
Saints Head Coach Kellen Moore made the ballot after his standout collegiate career for the Boise State Broncos. A 2010 First Team All-American who finished his career as the winningest starting quarterback in college football history with a record of 50-3 (.943), Moore tied the NCAA record with four 3,000-yard passing seasons racking up 14,667 passing yards and 142 touchdowns, both school records. He earned three conference Player of the Year honors (2-WAC, 1-MWC).
Among the Saints legends featured on the ballot were Pro Football Hall of Famer and Saints Ring of Honor member Morten Andersen, former Heisman Trophy winner and three-time Pro Bowler Mark Ingram, and Saints Ring of Honor member and current Saints assistant offensive line coach Jahri Evans.
Andersen was a 1981 First Team All-American who left Michigan State as the Big Ten's all-time leader in field goals (45) and set a still-standing conference record with a 63-yard field goal in 1981. He was a three-time All-Big Ten performer for the Spartans.
Ingram earned 2009 unanimous First Team All-American honors and was the first-ever Heisman Trophy winner for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He was named Offensive MVP of the 2010 BCS National Championship after posting 116 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Ingram led the SEC in rushing (1,658) and total touchdowns (20) in 2009 en route to earning SEC Offensive Player of the Year.
Evans is one of two Saints alongside Ashley Ambrose to be eligible from the divisional ranks. He received a 2005 First Team All-American nod as well as Second Team All-American honors as a junior. He was a two-time Division II Player of the Year finalist and three-time First Team All-PSAC East selection.
The ballot was provided to more than 12,000 NFF members and current NFF Hall of Famers with voting running through July 1. The votes will be tabulated and submitted to the Honors Court which includes a pool of athletic administrators, NFF Hall of Famers and members of the media who will then deliberate and select the class. The 2026 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will be announced in early 2026 and inducted at the 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner in Las Vegas on Dec. 8, 2026.
The ballot includes 79 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 100 players and 35 coaches from the divisional ranks (Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III, NAIA).
NFF Chairman Archie Manning, a 1989 NFF College Football Hall of Fame inductee and Saints Ring of Honor member, said the voting process "ensures that those selected represent the very best our sport has to offer."
"It's a tradition rooted in excellence, and we are excited to see who will be chosen for the 2026 Class," Manning said.
SAINTS ON 2026 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME BALLOT
Player | Position | College Career | Years with Saints |
---|---|---|---|
Morten Andersen | Kicker | Michigan State (1978-1981) | 1982-1994 |
Ashley Ambrose | Defensive back | Mississippi Valley State (1988-1991) | 1999, 2003-2004 |
Alex Brown | Defensive lineman | Florida (1998-2001) | 2010 |
Ki-Jana Carter | Running back | Penn State (1991-1994) | 2003-2004 |
Vaughn Dunbar | Running back | Indiana (1990-1991) | 1992, 1994-1995 |
Jahri Evans | Offensive lineman | Bloomsburg (PA) (2003-2005) | 2006-2016, 2023-present* |
Craig Heyward | Running back | Pittsburgh (1984, 1986-1987) | 1988-1992 |
Mark Ingram | Running back | Alabama (2008-2010) | 2011-2018, 2021-2022 |
Olin Kreutz | Center | Washington (1995-1997) | 2011 |
James Laurinaitis | Linebacker | Ohio State (2005-2008) | 2016 |
Kellen Moore | Quarterback | Boise State (2008-2011) | 2025-present* |
Manti Te'o | Linebacker | Notre Dame (2009-2012) | 2017-2019 |
Jonathan Vilma | Linebacker | Miami (FL) (2000-2003) | 2008-2013 |
*Coaching career with the Saints