Mike Leach headlines College Football Hall of Fame candidates list that includes 2 from ASU

ASU's representation on the 179-player and 48-coach candidates list includes one former star defender and one Fiesta Bowl-winning head coach.

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jun 2, 2026, 3:09 PM

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Mike Leach, the eccentric and revolutionary offensive savant whose teams set dozens of scoring and passing records over his 21-year head coaching career, is among the nominees for the 2027 College Football Hall of Fame class.

The National Football Foundation released the ballot Monday for the class that will be announced in January. It includes 80 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 99 players and 39 coaches from lower levels.

The list includes three with Arizona ties: former Arizona State defensive end Terrell Suggs (2000-02), former ASU head coach Darryl Rogers (1980-84) and former Northern Arizona running back Archie Amerson (1995-96).

Suggs capped off his impressive ASU career by leading the nation in tackles for loss (31.5) and setting a single-season sacks record (24) that still stands as the official NCAA record to this day. He also gathered his second First Team All-Pac 10 honors while winning the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.

Rogers led the Sun Devils to a 37-18-1 record in five seasons, highlighted by a 10-2 record in the 1982 season that culminated in a Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma. Rogers, who holds a .602 record for his career, previously guided Michigan State to a Big Ten title two seasons before arriving in Tempe.

Amerson rushed for 3,196 yards in his two seasons and currently ranks fourth on the all-time rushing yards list at NAU. The three players ahead of him were each at the school for four years. Amerson was given the Walter Payton Award for the best offensive player in Division 1-AA (now FCS).

More about 2027 College Football Hall of Fame candidates list

A player is eligible 10 full seasons after his last year in college and must have received first-team All-America honors by a major selector. The nominee’s college football achievements are a prime consideration, but his post-football record as a citizen also is a factor.

Leach, who died in 2022 at age 61, became eligible for induction under adjusted criteria for coaches to be considered. The NFF announced last year the minimum career winning percentage required would go from .600 to .595 beginning in 2027.

Leach had a .596 winning percentage with a 158-107 record at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State.

Leach was known for his innovative wide-open offenses and his knack for pulling upsets. He won 18 games against Top 25 opponents when his team was unranked.

Among other FBS coaches on the ballot are Larry Coker, whose Miami team won the 2001 season’s national championship; Dennis Franchione, who made stops at TCU, Alabama and Texas A&M; Ralph Friedgen, who led Maryland to bowls in seven of his 10 seasons; Rogers, who was also 1977 Big Ten coach of the year at Michigan State; Jackie Sherrill, all-time wins leader at Mississippi State; and Tommy Tuberville, who led powerful Auburn teams of the 2000s.

Heisman Trophy winners Cam Newton of Auburn (2010) and Robert Griffin III of Baylor (2011) are on the ballot along with first-time nominees Tavon Austin of West Virginia, Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin, A.J. Hawk of Ohio State and Barrett Jones of Alabama.

Nominees go through a screening process to assure they meet eligibility criteria before a vote is taken among members of the NFF and Football Writers Association of America. Voting results are sent to the NFF Honors Court, which makes final selections.