The National Football Foundation released the names on the ballot for the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class, which included 79 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Former Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State WR Dez Bryant is on the ballot thanks to his consensus first-team All-American season in 2008. He was named the Big 12 Special Team Player of the Year and was named first-team All-Big 12 as both a receiver and returner.
During that sophomore year, Bryant was a Biletnikoff Award finalist after averaging 113.8 receiving yards per game.
See all the other former Dallas Cowboys, former local college stars and former local college coaches on the upcoming ballot below.
Other notable Cowboys on the ballot
Flozell Adams
Adams played for the Cowboys from 1998-2009. The former Michigan State offensive tackle was a three-time All-Big Ten player for the Spartans and was a first-team All-American in 1997.
Kellen Moore
The former Cowboys backup quarterback and offensive coordinator is on the ballot due to a standout career at Boise State. He was a first-team All-American in 2010 and finished his college career as the winningest starting QB in college football history.
Greg Ellis
Ellis was a defensive end for the Cowboys from 1998-2008, including a 2007 Pro Bowl season that saw him win the Comeback Player of the Year. He tallied 77 sacks with the Cowboys, but is on the ballot for a standout career at North Carolina that included 32.5 career sacks in college.
Other college locals on the ballot
Baylor QB Robert Griffin III
Griffin’s iconic 2011 season with Baylor included a first-team All-American selection, a Heisman Trophy and several other awards as he lit the Big 12 on fire for the Bears.
SMU DB Russell Carter
Carter was a unanimous first-team All-American for the Mustangs in 1983 and was a three-time All-Southwest Conference performer. He is SMU’s all-time career leader in interceptions with 18.
Oklahoma LB Rocky Calmus
Calmus was a two-time consensus first-team All-American for Oklahoma and won the 2001 Butkus Award. The 2000 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and four-time All-Big 12 LB tallied 431 tackles and was a key piece on the Sooners team that won the BCS National Championship at the 2001 Orange Bowl.
Oklahoma LB George Cumby
Cumby was a two-time first-team All-American at Oklahoma and won the Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year award twice. He was a member of four Big Eight championship teams.
Texas DT Casey Hampton
Hampton was named first-team All-American twice as a Longhorn, including a consensus selection in 2000. The 2000 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year was a three-time All-Big 12 defender who finished his Texas career with 54 tackles for loss.
Texas Tech RB Byron Hanspard
Hanspard was a unanimous first-team All-American in 1996 and won the Doak Walker Award. He set the single-season rushing record with 2,000 rushing yards that year. Hanspard was Texas Tech’s all-time rushing leader until Tahj Brooks surpassed him this year.
Oklahoma QB Josh Heupel
Heupel was a consensus first-team All-American QB for the Sooners and finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up in the 2000 season. He led Oklahoma to the national title at the 2001 Orange Bowl. He left Oklahoma with virtually every school passing record despite playing just two seasons.
Local coaches on the ballot
Jim Carlen
Carlen coached from 1966-81, which included a stint at Texas Tech from 1970-74. He was named the National Coach of the Year in 1973 with the Red Raiders.
Pete Cawthon Sr.
Cawthon Sr. was Texas Tech’s coach from 1930-40 and led the Red Raiders to four conference championships in that span. He led Texas Tech to a 10-0 season and the schools’ first Cotton Bowl appearance. Cawthon Sr. has the highest career win percentage among Texas Tech coaches with three years or more at the helm.
Dennis Franchione
Franchione had two separate stints at Texas State, a stint at TCU from 1998-2000 and a stint at Texas A&M from 2003-07. He led Texas State’s transition into the FBS, guided TCU to its first postseason since since the 1950s and took Texas A&M to the 2005 Cotton Bowl.
Gary Patterson
Patterson coached at TCU from 2000-21 and become a legend in Fort Worth. He is the all-time winningest coach in Horned Frogs history and was a two-time National Coach of the Year. Patterson led TCU to six conference titles, including a Conference USA title, four Mountain West titles and a Big 12 championship.
Tommy Tuberville
Tuberville coached from 1995-2016, which included a stint at Texas Tech from 2010-12 that ended with a 20-17 record. He is on the ballot for his more memorable efforts at Auburn where he was named National Coach of the Year in 2004 for leading the Tigers to a SEC title and 13-0 record.
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