Pair of Penn State Legends on College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

A pair of Penn State greats are being considered for the College Football Hall of Fame.

The National Football Foundation has unveiled the 2025 Hall of Fame ballot with football bowl subdivision player candidates.

77 players and nine coaches are in the running to become college football Hall of Famers. The ballot includes former Penn State running backs D.J. Dozier (1984-86) and Ki-Jana Carter (1991-94). 

Dozier was a force at Penn State and an instrumental part of he 1986 National Championship team. The All-American running back rushed for 811 yards that season with a career-high 10 touchdowns and 287 receiving yards. Dozier capped his PSU career with 624 carries for 3,227 yards (5.2 yards-per-carry), 25 touchdowns, and 66 receptions for 613 yards and four scores. His efforts earned him 8th in the Heisman voting during the 1986 season.

He was selected 14th overall in the 1987 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. Dozier rushed for 691 yards and seven touchdowns in 43 career games with a 4.0 yards-per-carry average in four years in Minnesota and one in Detroit.

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All-American back Ki-Jana Carter went down as one of the best players in Nittany Lion History when he hung up the black shoes and basic blues. Carter rushed for 2,829 yards and 34 touchdowns in 33 games, including an outstanding 7.2 yards per carry in three seasons. Carter’s junior year in 1994 earned him All-American honors and finished second in Heisman voting. He ran for 1,539 yards (7.8 Avg) and 23 touchdowns during the regular season. A 2014 Rose Bowl Hall of Fame inductee, Carter rushed for 156 yards and three touchdowns to cap an undefeated season with a 38-20 victory over Oregon. 

Carter was drafted 2nd overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1995 NFL Draft. In 59 games, he rushed for 1,144 yards and 20 touchdowns in six seasons between Cincinnati (1996-1999), Washington (2001), and New Orleans (2003-2004). 

Other notable candidates include Marshawn Lynch (Cal), Sean Taylor (Miami), Manti Te’o (Notre Dame), Eric Weddle (Utah), Aaron Donald (Pitt), and Marvin Harrison (Syracuse).

Voters will select 12 players and two coaches for induction. The 66th NFF annual awards dinner will be held on December 10 in Las Vegas.