IRVING, Texas — Four players with Tennessee ties have landed on the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot, the National Football Foundation announced on Monday.
Current UT head coach Josh Heupel joins Tennessee legends Eric Berry, Willie Gault and Larry Seivers on the 96-player ballot.
Heupel is on the ballot for the third consecutive year for his achievements as the quarterback of the Oklahoma Sooners. Heupel was a consensus first-team All-American in 2000 as he led OU to the national championship and also finished as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.
Former Tennessee defensive back Eric Berry appears on the ballot for the second-straight year. Berry was a two-time unanimous first-team All-American, the 2008 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and the 2009 Thorpe Award winner as the nation's best defensive back. He still holds SEC records for career interception return yards (494) and single-season interception return yards (265 in 2008). The 2010 fifth-overall pick was also a three-time NFL First-team All-Pro selection and was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
1982 first-team All-American wide receiver Willie Gault helped Tennessee to three bowl appearances. Gault went on to have an 11-year NFL career and won a Super Bowl with the Chicago Bears in 1985.
Clinton native Larry Seivers was a two-time consensus first-team All-American in 1975 and 1976. The wide receiver became the first Vol to eclipse 800 receiving yards in a single season in 1975.
The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be announced in early 2023 and will be officially inducted during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 5, 2023.
