The National Football Foundation (NFF) and the College Football Hall of Fame have announced players on the ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2023.
There are several former Chiefs players up for selection including Pro Football Hall of Fame TE Tony Gonzalez, DB Eric Berry, WR Jeremy Maclin and GM John Dorsey (former LB with UConn) who were all up for selection in 2022 as well. There are, however, a pair of newly-added former Chiefs players on the ballot this year.
Here are a few criteria that these newcomers had to meet in order to receive consideration for the College Football Hall of Fame in 2023:
- You must have been named a First-Team All-American during your playing days.
- A minimum of 10 years must have passed since your final season of college football. No more than 50 years can have passed since your last college football game.
- Post-football records and academic record matters.
- Coaches can become nominated three years after retirement, but active coaches can be nominated if they reach 75 years of age.
One of the first-time players up for selection into the College Football Hall of Fame is former Chiefs LB Derrick Johnson, who was a standout at the University of Texas. Johnson joined Kansas City as a first-round pick out of the 2005 NFL draft and retired as the franchise leader in tackles with 1,151 over the course of 13 seasons in Kansas City.
“Two-time First Team All-American (consensus-2003, unanimous-2004) and recipient of the 2004 Butkus Award and Nagurski Trophy…2004 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and three-time First Team All-Big 12 performer…Led Horns to three 11-win seasons and ranks third all-time at UT with 458 career tackles.”
Next up is former Chiefs QB Alex Smith, who was a standout at Utah. Smith joined Kansas City via trade ahead of the 2013 NFL season and helped usher in a new era of football with the Chiefs under head coach Andy Reid, boasting a 50-26 record during five years with the team. He’s also credited with having helped Patrick Mahomes develop as a rookie in 2017.
2004 First Team All-American who finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting…2004 SI National Player of the Year, leading Utah to its first-ever 12-0 season, a BCS bowl victory (2005 Fiesta) and a No. 4 final national ranking…2004 MWC Offensive Player of the Year boasted two league titles and multiple school records.
Now that the ballot has been released, votes will be submitted to the NFF’s Honors Courts. They’ll deliberate and decide on the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame class, with an announcement slated for early 2023.
