On Monday morning, the National Football Foundation announced a long list of names that make up the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2026.
Among the nominees are former Heisman Trophy winners (Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton, Mark Ingram), 1st overall picks in the NFL Draft (Newton, Courtney Brown, and Ki-Jana Carter), Pro Football Hall of Famers (Alan Faneca, Morten Andersen, Marvin Harrison, Richard Seymour), current NFL head coaches (DeMeco Ryans and Kellen Moore), and one former castaway on Survivor (Brad Culpepper).
Also included are a trio of Miami Hurricanes legends who made their name in Coral Gables the last time that the Canes were atop the college football world.
Quarterback Ken Dorsey, linebacker Jonathan Vilma, and head coach Larry Coker could all soon be able to add “College Football Hall of Famer” to their already impressive resumes.
Ken Dorsey, who is now serving as the Dallas Cowboys passing game specialist, is perhaps the most predictable of the three candidates. Quietly, Dorsey has one of the most impressive college football resumes in the sport’s history, ending his career with a 38-2 record, which makes him the winningest quarterback in Hurricanes history. To this day, he remains the program’s leader in touchdown passes, and is one of just four players in Big East history to be named Offensive Player of the Year at least twice.
Jonathan Vilma was a reserve during his freshman season at Miami, but made the most of his reps the following three seasons. Vilma was a First-team All-Big East selection in each of his three years as a starter, leading Miami in tackles each of those three years. He was named a First-team All-American in his final season with the Hurricanes in 2003.
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Overseeing Miami’s 2001 National Championship win was head coach Larry Coker, who had served under Butch Davis as The U’s offensive coordinator from 1995 to 2000. In addition to winning the 2001 BCS Championship, Coker led Miami to three consecutive Big East conference titles from 2001 to 2003, as well as three BCS bowl game appearances in those same years. He’s one of just three University of Miami head coaches – along with Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson – to win at least 80 percent of their games as the program’s head coach.
Frankly, choosing who should represent this era of Miami Hurricanes football in the College Football Hall of Fame is difficult, because there is no shortage of players who deserve the recognition. Already represented in the College Football Hall of Fame from this era of Miami Hurricanes football are safety Ed Reed (inducted in 2018), linebacker Dan Morgan (2021) and offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie (2023).
In time, it’s possible that Jeremy Shockey, Sean Taylor, Andre Johnson, Willis McGahee and Antrel Rolle will all find themselves on the ballot as well.
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