On Monday, the National Football Foundation and the College Hall of Fame revealed the ballot for the class of 2023, and it appears voters will have a difficult time narrowing down the field of prospective inductees.
The star-studded list features 80 players from the FBS level spanning 50 years, along with nine coaches. There are also 96 players and 33 coaches from the divisional level.
Plenty of names qualify as headliners, but among the most recognizable names are Reggie Bush, Tim Tebow, Marshawn Lynch, Ray Lewis and Alex Smith.
Bush starred at USC from 2003 to ’05, leading the Trojans to two national championships. He was twice named the Pac-10 Player of the Year, and he won the 2005 Heisman Trophy (which has since been removed from official records) after totaling 2,890 all-purpose yards with 19 touchdowns.
Tebow was a part of two national title-winning teams with Florida in 2006 and ’08. He won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore and was a three-time winner of the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Year award.
Lynch was a first-team All-American for Cal in 2006 after rushing for 1,356 yards with 15 total touchdowns, while Lewis was a first-team All-American in 1995 and currently ranks sixth all-time in Miami history in total tackles (388). Smith—who was high school teammates with Bush—was a Heisman Trophy finalist with Bush in 2004, and led Utah to an undefeated season and Fiesta Bowl victory in 2004 before becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2005 NFL draft.
Other players on this year’s ballot include Tony Gonzalez, Marvin Harrison, Dwight Freeney, Warrick Dunn, Peter Warrick, Eric Weddle, Kellen Moore, LaMichael James, Toby Gerhart, Ron Rivera and Julius Peppers.
The 2023 class will be announced early next year, with voting ending on June 30.
