Tag: Cam Newton

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College Football

Heisman Stars and Top Coaches Headline 2026 Hall of Fame Ballot Reveal

Heisman Stars and Top Coaches Headline 2026 Hall of Fame Ballot Reveal
Heisman Stars and Top Coaches Headline 2026 Hall of Fame Ballot Reveal

The National Football Foundation released the ballot for the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class, featuring 79 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision, along with 100 players and 35 coaches from lower divisions. Among the high-profile candidates are Heisman Trophy winners Mark Ingram, Cam Newton, and Robert Griffin III, as well as former AP National Player of the Year Ndamukong Suh.

Heisman Winners and Legendary Players Highlight 2026 Hall of Fame Ballot Choices

Mark Ingram made history as Alabama’s first Heisman winner in 2009 after a standout season with 1,658 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. Cam Newton followed in 2010, becoming just the third FBS player to record 20 passing and 20 rushing touchdowns in a season.

Robert Griffin III, the 2011 winner, led the nation in points responsible for and ranked second in total offense. Ndamukong Suh, a dominant defensive lineman for Nebraska in 2009, was the first defensive lineman finalist for the Heisman in 15 years and earned AP National Player of the Year honors.

Heisman Stars and Top Coaches Headline 2026 Hall of Fame Ballot Reveal
Heisman Stars and Top Coaches Headline 2026 Hall of Fame Ballot Reveal

The ballot also includes notable players like Iowa’s Brad Banks, Pittsburgh’s Aaron Donald, California’s Marshawn Lynch, and Oklahoma’s Josh Heupel. On the coaching side, candidates include Larry Coker, Gary Patterson, and Chris Petersen, each with impressive records.

Coker led Miami to a national title in his rookie season, Patterson is TCU’s all-time wins leader, and Petersen has the most wins in Boise State history, along with leading Washington to the 2016 College Football Playoff.

Lowering Coaching Eligibility Percentage Opens Door for More Candidates, Including Mike Leach

Starting in 2027, the National Football Foundation will slightly lower the minimum winning percentage for coaching eligibility from .600 to .595. This change will open the door for more coaches to be considered for the Hall of Fame, reflecting the evolving standards in college football.

One notable beneficiary of this adjustment is the late Mike Leach, who passed away in 2022. Leach had a career record of 158-107 with a .596 winning percentage, just shy of the previous threshold. Renowned for his innovative offensive schemes and ability to pull off upsets, Leach won 18 games against Top 25 teams when his squads were unranked, cementing his legacy as a coach worthy of Hall of Fame consideration.

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Cam Newton, speaking from Atlanta, stated he wouldn’t swap his NFL MVP for a Super Bowl victory, saying, “I did my job”

Cam Newton
Cam Newton (NFL)

It’s common for athletes to say that winning a Super Bowl is more important than an individual award, and most top NFL quarterbacks will downplay the MVP. Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are examples of this.

However, Cam Newton doesn’t agree.

The former Carolina Panthers quarterback, now a commentator on ESPN’s “First Take,” challenged the usual view on Thursday when Stephen A. Smith asked if he would trade his MVP award for a Super Bowl win.

Expecting Newton to choose the Super Bowl he never won, Smith was surprised when Newton answered with a firm “no.”

Newton criticized Smith’s question as a “journalistic viewpoint” and asked whether impact or championships are more important. He then explained his thoughts, mentioning three non-elite quarterbacks who won a Super Bowl:

“Everybody’s not going to be Michael Jordan. Everybody’s not going to be Patrick Mahomes. Everybody’s not going to be these individuals who have the luxury of saying, ‘Hey, I not only dominated this sport, but I also have championships to back it.’

“Let me remind you, Brad Johnson won a Super Bowl. Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl. Respectfully, Nick Foles won a Super Bowl. So, yes, when you look at those guys and you say, ‘OK, what’s more important? Would you have preferred to win a Super Bowl?’

Cam Newton Foresees WNBA Surpassing MLB in Popularity Over the Next 20 Years
Cam Newton Foresees WNBA Surpassing MLB in Popularity Over the Next 20 Years

I think that’s the humble approach, but if we’re being honest, the impact of you holding yourself accountable to say everybody has a responsibility to do, and you can say as an MVP award winner or an All-American, you’ve held your end of the bargain down. That’s what it really comes down to for me.

“I know that’s not the popular pick, I’m not trying to be popularized! My take is, I’m taking individual success because I did my job. Football is not about one guy trying to do 11 jobs, it’s 11 guys doing one job.”

The discussion was made more entertaining by Newton’s large hat and the reaction of his co-panelist, Jason McCourty, who won Super Bowl LIII with the New England Patriots.

Newton played 11 seasons in the NFL and reached the Super Bowl once, which was during his MVP season. In 2015, he led the Panthers to a 15-1 regular-season record and Super Bowl 50, but they lost 24-10 to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.

Aside from that season, Newton’s Panthers lacked the kind of talent that is typically needed to win a Super Bowl. Newton didn’t believe he was part of the problem, although his performance did decline after that year, partly due to injuries.