The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame ballot was released this week, featuring enough nostalgic names for any fan to sink their teeth into. This is reason enough for your hosts of the Throw The Flag podcast to sidestep the NHL playoffs, the NBA Finals, the Men’s and Women’s College World Series and talk about football.
The ballot includes too many names, honestly. A total of 176 players and 41 coaches will be up for consideration by more than 12,000 members of the National Football Foundation. Out of the 5.54 million who have played college football, only 1,056 have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. You can find full criteria for players and coaches at the NFF website, so I won’t spill any ink on that here.
Out of that bevy of players and coaches, highlighted below are the ones we’re excited about as well as the ones we question why they were included in the ballot in the first place. Here are your cheers and jeers of the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame ballot.
CHEERS: Antonio Langham, Alabama Cornerback (1990-93)
The Town Creek native was the prototype electrifying Bama cornerback before the flood of elite defensive backs in Tuscaloosa during Coach Nick Saban’s tenure. His legendary pick-6 in the very first SEC Championship changed college football forever.
JEERS: Ken Dorsey, Miami Quarterback (1999-2002)
Dorsey boasts an impressive resume, leading his team to two consecutive BCS Championship games, taking a win and a loss. However, he did this surrounded by historically and laughably good players on both sides of the ball. He’ll always be known as a game manager quarterback and suffers in our eyes because of it.
CHEERS: Tim Tebow, Florida Quarterback (2006-09)
It’s Tebow’s first time on the ballot and he’s the biggest no-brainer out of the outsized bunch. He’s a two-time national champion and counts the Heisman and two Maxwell awards in his trophy case. He sometimes single-handedly bulldozed opposing defenses and pioneered the worst way to get beat: the jump pass.
JEERS: Toby Gerhart, Stanford Running Back (2006-09)
It’s tough to be an SEC homer and write about other conferences. Are we inherently biased against Pac-12 players on this ballot because they play other Pac-12 teams? Maybe. At Throw The Flag, we’re mostly biased against hearing about how Gerhart should’ve won the Heisman over Mark Ingram in 2009. Enough. It’s enough.
CHEERS: Larry Blakeney, Troy Head Coach (1991-2014)
If they keep you around, you’re probably doing something right. At least that’s what I keep telling myself every day I don’t get fired. Blakeney is such an institution at Troy, he took the helm back when it was called Troy State. He boasted a 61% winning percentage over 24 seasons, which isn’t easy to do as a Trojan. All hail coach Blakeney.
JEERS: Josh Heupel, Oklahoma Quarterback (1999-2000)
Nominated for his time at Oklahoma, the current Tennessee coach falls victim to the same negatives Ken Dorsey had. His most successful campaign came in 2000 when he led the Sooners to a national championship. Heupel was a non-factor in the title game, depending on his defense to hold Florida State to 2 points. If Heupel gets inducted, the bar needs to be raised.
CHEERS: Chris Samuels, Alabama Offensive Tackle (1996-99)
We started with a Bama alum, and we’ll end it the same way. In 42 games, Samuels refused to allow a sack. In 1999, he allowed one quarterback hurry. Shaun Alexander has him to thank for much of his rushing yards. There’s no argument.
HONORABLE MENTION
Auburn alum Gregg Carr (1981-84) is also on the ballot. He was a 1984 consensus First Team All-American and contributed to a 1983 Tigers SEC title and three straight bowl wins.
Troy defensive lineman Al Lucas (1998-99) and defensive back Freddie Thomas (1986-87) also landed on the ballot for the Trojans.
Other names on the ballot to chew on as you load up the next episode of Throw the Flag: Ryan Leaf, Reggie Bush, Craig Ironhead Heyward, Paul Johnson, Ray Lewis, Tim Couch, Ki-Jana Carter, Tony Gonzalez, Luke and Kuechly.
What did we get wrong? What games are you looking forward to? Let us know on Twitter or Instagram. Listen to Throw the Flag below or wherever you get your podcasts.
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