Tim Tebow, Alex Smith among first-time candidates on College Football Hall of Fame ballot
Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Tim Tebow and ex-Utah quarterback Alex Smith are among the players on the ballot for the first time for the College Football Hall of Fame, announced Monday.
This class will be inducted on Dec. 5, 2023 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. The more than 12,000 voters have until June 30 to send in their ballots.
There are 80 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision on the ballot. The divisional ranks feature 96 players and 33 coaches.
Tebow was one of the most polarizing players in college football history, leading Florida to two national championships and winning the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore in 2007.
Smith led Utah to a12-0 season in 2004 and played 16 seasons in the NFL, recovering from a leg injury to win the league's Comeback Player of the Year award in 2020.
Others on the ballot for the first time include Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf, Penn State running back Ki-Jana Carter, Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon, and Oklahoma linebacker Rocky Calmus.
To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, players have to be named an All-American and be 10 years removed from their last season playing college football.
Former Georgia and Miami coach Mark Richt, former Miami coach Larry Coker, who led the Hurricanes to a national title, and former Nebraska and Ohio coach Frank Solich, who coached the Cornhuskers team that Miami beat in the 2001 championship game, also are on the ballot.
Coaches are eligible immediately after retirement if they are 70 years or older or three seasons after retirement. They must have coached at least 10 seasons, while winning at least 60 percent of their games.
Follow Scooby Axson on Twitter @ScoobAxson
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College Football Hall of Fame ballot features Tim Tebow, Alex Smith
