Urban Meyer is set to join Nick Saban in the 2025 class of the College Football Hall of Fame, with notable former players like Michael Vick and Michael Strahan also being honored. The National Football Foundation made the announcement regarding Saban’s selection last week, along with the complete list of 18 players and four coaches being inducted this year on Wednesday.
Saban, who ended his coaching career last year, stands as the NCAA’s all-time winningest coach, boasting an impressive record of 292 wins, 71 losses, and 1 tie over a span of 28 seasons across various institutions including Toledo, Michigan State, LSU, and Alabama. His remarkable achievement of seven national championships — one at LSU and six at Alabama — is unparalleled among coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Meyer concludes his coaching tenure with a stellar record of 187 wins and 32 losses, complemented by three national titles during 17 seasons spent at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, and Ohio State. He led Utah to win 22 out of 24 games before heading to Florida, where he secured national championships in both 2006 and 2008. Transitioning to Ohio State in 2012, Meyer clinched his third national title in 2014, finishing his run there with a record of 83 wins to 9 losses over seven seasons.
Michael Vick brought a unique style to the quarterback position during his two years at Virginia Tech, steering the Hokies to an impressive 22-2 record that included a spot in the national championship game in 1999. His 13-year career in the NFL was paused due to his conviction in 2007 linked to a dogfighting scandal, resulting in a 21-month federal prison sentence. Following his release, he resumed his NFL career in 2009. Recently, Vick was named the head coach for Norfolk State.
Strahan, who is currently a co-host on ABC’s Good Morning America and an analyst for FOX NFL Sunday, made his mark as a formidable defensive lineman at Texas Southern from 1989 to 1992, racking up an impressive 41.5 sacks in his collegiate career. He then spent 15 seasons in the NFL with the New York Giants and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
Among the other inductees is Terry Hanratty, who served as quarterback under Ara Parseghian at Notre Dame from 1966 to 1968. Hanratty was instrumental in leading the 1966 Notre Dame team to share the national championship and will be enshrined alongside his former teammates Jim Lynch, Alan Page, and Joe Theismann.
The 2025 class also includes Montee Ball from Wisconsin, who was awarded the Doak Walker Award in 2012 for being the nation’s top running back. Notably, in the previous year, he tied Barry Sanders’ NCAA record by scoring 39 total touchdowns in a single season. Ball concluded his collegiate career with 5,140 rushing yards, averaging 104.9 yards per game, along with 77 rushing touchdowns.
Additional players in the upcoming class consist of Gregg Carr (Auburn), Blake Elliott (Saint John’s, Minnesota), Greg Eslinger (Minnesota), Graham Harrell (Texas Tech), John Henderson (Tennessee), Michael Huff (Texas), Jim Kleinsasser (North Dakota), Alex Mack (California), Terrence Metcalf (Mississippi), Haloti Ngata (Oregon), Steve Slaton (West Virginia), Darrin Smith (Miami), Dennis Thurman (Southern California), and Ryan Yarborough (Wyoming).
Coaching inductees include Larry Blakeney from Troy, who transitioned the Trojans from Division II to FBS between 1991 and 2014, holding the title of the Sun Belt Conference’s winningest coach with a record of 178-113-1, along with Larry “Bub” Korver from Northwestern College, boasting a remarkable 212-77-6 record along with two NAIA championships during his 28-year tenure from 1967 to 1994.
The 2025 Hall of Fame class will be officially inducted on December 9 at an awards dinner in Las Vegas, with the Hall of Fame itself located in Atlanta.
