AUBURN — Three standouts, two players and one coach, with Auburn football ties will be on the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot, the National Football Foundation announced Monday.
Former Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, was the headliner, making his first-ever appearance on the ballot, joined by linebacker Takeo Spikes and longtime coach Tommy Tuberville, both of whom were on the ballot last year. That trio will be among the 79 players and nine coaches on this year’s listing. Should they garner a selection, the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be announced in early 2026, according to a release, with further details to be announced.
A consensus first team All-American, Newton spent one season on the Plains and it ended with the 2010 BCS National Championship. He racked up more than just a Heisman, also winning the Davey O’Brien, Manning, Maxwell and Walter Camp awards, as he became the third FBS player to ever record 20 passing and rushing touchdowns in a single season.
Spikes, who went on to a lengthy NFL career and currently works for ESPN, was first team All-American in 1997 and a two-time first team All-SEC selection. He helped the Tigers to the 1997 SEC championship game, and he won Peach Bowl MVP honors in 1998.
Tuberville, currently serving as a U.S. Senator for Alabama, won National Coach of the Year honors in 2004 for leading Auburn to an SEC championship in a perfect 13-0 season. In his seasons on the Plains, he guided the Tigers to four SEC West division titles and two SEC championship games.
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.
