IRVING, Texas – The National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame announced today the names on the 2026 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, including former Fighting Illini Kevin Hardy and Simeon Rice. This year’s ballot features 79 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 100 players and 35 coaches from the divisional ranks.

Eighteen former Illini are currently enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, with linebacker Dana Howard (2018) and defensive tackle Moe Gardner (2022) as the most recent inductees. Howard and Gardner joined 16 previously selected Fighting Illini in the hall of fame, including college football legends Red Grange (inducted 1951) and Dick Butkus (inducted 1983).

2026 Illinois College Football Hall of Fame Candidates

LB Kevin Hardy, Illinois: 1995 Butkus Award winner and consensus First Team All-American with 105 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and three interceptions … Two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection who helped Illini to two bowl berths … Team captain started 45 games (second all-time among Illini LBs) and ranks fifth all-time at Illinois in sacks (18) and eighth TFL (38) … Chosen by Jacksonville as the No. 2 pick in the 1996 NFL draft.

LB Simeon Rice, Illinois: Two-time First Team All-American and three-time First Team All-Big Ten selection … Holds conference and school record for career sacks (44.5) and Illini record for career tackles for loss (69) … Set school record for single-season sacks (16) … Chosen by Arizona as the No. 3 pick in the 1996 NFL draft.

Illini in the College Football Hall of Fame (18)

Alex Agase, G (inducted 1963)

Bob Blackman, coach (inducted 1987)

Al Brosky, DB (inducted 1998)

Dick Butkus, LB (inducted 1983)

Chuck Carney, WR (inducted 1966)

J.C. Caroline, RB (inducted 1980)

Pete Elliot, coach (inducted 1993)

Moe Gardner, DT (inducted 2022)

Jim Grabowski, RB (inducted 1995)

Harold “Red” Grange, RB (inducted 1951)

Edward K. Hall, coach (inducted 1951)

Dana Howard, LB (inducted 2018)

Bart Macomber, RB (inducted 1972)

Bernie Shively, G (inducted 1982)

David Williams, WR (inducted 2005)

George W. Woodruff, coach (inducted 1963)

Claude “Buddy” Young, RB (inducted 1968)

Robert Zuppke, coach (inducted 1951) 

Florida State basketball is undergoing massive changes across the board.

Not only will a new coach be leading the Seminoles for the first time in 23 years but, in the day and age of the transfer portal, NIL, and yearly roster turnover, FSU is undergoing a massive roster overhaul.

“There will be a lot of guys that hit the portal, and that shouldn’t scare anyone. That’s by design, both for these players and myself,” Loucks told reporters during his second interview since becoming Florida State men’s basketball coach.

This article will be updated throughout the off-season, tracking player movements and who will be part of Loucks’ first team in Tallahassee.

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FSU basketball offseason roster changes: Departures

Transfer portal

Eligibility

Transfer portal additions

Returning players

• Guard/forward AJ Swinton
• Forward Alier Maluk

High school recruits:

The 2025 Alabama baseball season ended on May 31, with a close 6-5 loss in game three of the NCAA Tournament Hattiesburg Regional. The Crimson Tide won 40 regular season games for the first time since 2002 but went 0-2 in a regional for the second straight year.

Head coach Rob Vaughn and his staff will now be responsible for managing the offseason, with wholesale changes to the sport’s scholarship model set to make an impact. Gone is the longstanding 11.7-scholarship limit, replaced by a head-count allowance of 34 with a corresponding cap at that same number on the spring roster (down from 40).

Apart from bringing in new faces via the 2025 signing class, and making the adjustments that come with that, there is also the matter of departures. Among others, veterans like captain Kade Snell and first baseman Will Hodo have used up their college eligibility.

The specter of the MLB Draft is an additional presence in offseason matters. Star pitcher Riley Quick, for example, will be a coveted prospect in that event and selected as such, meaning his college baseball days are over if he signs.

There are other players the program could lose to the pro ranks if those individuals hear their names called as well, like starting outfielders Bryce Fowler and Richie Bonomolo Jr. Star shortstop Justin Lebron is not draft-eligible yet. Weekend starter Zane Adams is. Both were sophomores in 2025.

Whatever takes place, the roster will look different next spring, as happens with the cycle of the offseason. The transfer portal (along with professional pathways for some players) cements that fact even further.

BamaCentral will keep track of personnel moves during the offseason, including incoming and outgoing transfers, providing updates on all of the above items and more. This story will be updated with news as it happens, with markers for dates as new events and changes occur.

Additionally, at the bottom of this page, there will be comprehensive lists of transfers both in and out of the program.

DeKALB, Ill. – Northern Illinois University legend Jordan Lynch, who made history – and led NIU to historic heights – as a record-setting dual threat quarterback, has been named to the ballot for the 2026 NFF College Football Hall of Fame released on Monday by the National Football Foundation (NFF).
 
Lynch made the ballot as a first-time nominee after his name was forwarded by the District Screening Committee. Making the ballot is an important step in the process toward consideration for induction into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame. All-time, just one Huskie – trailblazing quarterback George Bork (1960-63) – has earned induction into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player. Bork was inducted in 1999.
 
Lynch, who was inducted into the NIU Athletics and Mid-American Conference Halls of Fame in 2024, guided NIU to a 24-4 record that included the MAC Championship and historic Orange Bowl appearance in 2012, and an undefeated regular season in 2013 that included Boneyard Wins over Iowa and Purdue.
 
His career was capped by a trip to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist where his third-place finish ranks as the highest ever by a player from the MAC. Lynch collected first team All-America honors from the Associated Press, Lindy’s and Phil Steele in 2013 as an all-purpose player after making the AP and Phil Steele second teams as a junior. He set five NCAA and 25 school records. The Chicago native never lost a road game (12-0) or a game at Huskie Stadium (11-0) as a starter. 
 

He won the MAC’s Vern Smith Leadership (MVP) Award and was named the league’s offensive player of the year in both 2012 and 2013. In addition to his Heisman finish, Lynch was a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Manning Quarterback Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Senior CLASS Award and AT&T All-America Player of the Year awards as a senior.
 
The 2026 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot, which includes 79 players and nine coaches from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and 100 players and 35 coaches from the NCAA divisional and NAIA ranks, is emailed to all dues-paying NFF chapter members, including those of the Chicago Metro Chapter, NFF academic members and Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) members for a vote. The results are compiled and provided to the Honors Court, which determines the final class members.
 
To be eligible for the NFF College Football Hall of Fame, players must have been named a First Team All-American by a major national selector organization as recognized and utilized by the NCAA for their consensus All-America teams; played their last year of intercollegiate football at least 10 full seasons prior and within the last 50 years; and cannot be currently playing professional football. The candidate’s post-football record as a citizen may also be weighed. For more information on the voting procedures click here.
 

The announcement of the 2026 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2026, with specific details to be announced in the future. The Class will be officially inducted during the 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 8, 2026, at the Bellagio Hotel & Resort, and permanently immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
 
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Facebook: NIU Huskies
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YouTube: NIU Athletics Official

Cooper Flagg was one of the most highly touted men’s college basketball players in recent years. But as he arguably became the sport’s biggest star in the early years of the name, image and likeness (NIL) era, Flagg might have also been one of the most valuable, if not the most valuable, college athletes ever.

The Duke star had at least $28 million in NIL deals during his time in Durham, longtime journalist Howard Bryant shared in a conversation with Bob Costas at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. 

That $28 million figure is only based on Flagg’s deals with New Balance and Fanatics. Flagg earned a $13 million deal with New Balance while his Fanatics deal is worth $15 million, according to Bryant. 

It’s unclear if those figures are the annual value or the total value of Flagg’s contracts with those brands. When Flagg agreed to his deal with New Balance in August 2024, ESPN reported it was for a “significant” amount. New Balance also made Flagg one of its top athletes, including him in a commercial that features Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey and Los Angeles Sparks star Cameron Brink. 

As for his deal with Fanatics, Flagg signed an exclusive multi-year contract with the merchandise brand in January. The terms of that deal weren’t unveiled at the time, but it included his first “rookie” card, which was part of the 2025 Bowman University Chrome set.

Flagg had other NIL deals beyond his agreements with New Balance and Fanatics during the 2024-25 season. However, it’s unclear how much those arrangements were worth. He became the first men’s college basketball player to sign an NIL deal with Gatorade last October. He also had NIL deals with AT&T, Cort Furniture and The NIL Store, which would likely bring the total amount of money he agreed to in NIL deals north of $28 million.

However, the total value of those deals greatly outnumbers the estimated worth Flagg had on an annual basis. On3 estimated that Flagg had a $4.3 million annual value for the 2024-25 season, which was second among all college athletes. He only trailed Texas quarterback Arch Manning ($6.6 million). 

Flagg lived up to the promise as one of the top college basketball recruits since the turn of the century during his one year at Duke. He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game, shooting 48.1% from the field and 38.5% from distance – those numbers helped Flagg win all of the major national player of the year awards. He also led Duke to the Final Four, where it lost in the national semifinal to Houston.

Following his strong year at Duke, Flagg declared for the 2025 NBA Draft. The Dallas Mavericks are widely expected to make Flagg the No. 1 overall pick when the draft is held later in June.

In the likely event Flagg goes No. 1, he’ll make even more money from his first NBA deal than what he’s reportedly made in NIL contracts so far. Flagg’s rookie scale contract is projected to be a four-year deal worth $62.7 million, according to Spotrac.

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AUSTIN, Texas – K-State’s AJ Evasco homered twice to break program’s freshman home run and RBI records, however, the Wildcats were eliminated for the 2025 NCAA Tournament as top-seeded Texas powered to a 15-8 win Sunday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
 
Evasco, a Lincoln, Nebraska native, needed just one home run and one RBI to match both freshman marks. He tied both records with his first homer of the game before breaking the tie in his next at-bat with a two-run shot to left field, taking sole possession of both records. It marked the first multi-homer game of his career and made him the sixth Wildcat this season to hit two or more in a game.
 
“Disappointing day. We got off to a bad start, and you can’t do that in somebody else’s stadium against a really good club – especially one as offensive as Texas,” seventh-year head coach Pete Hughes said. “Proud of the way we punched back in the first inning, that’s for sure. But you know, when you give someone four or sometimes five outs an inning with an offense like that it’s a dangerous way to live, and we just lived the result.”
 
K-State concluded its season with a 32-26 record, making its second straight NCAA Tournament run and first back-to-back appearances since 2010-11.

“It was a rewarding season. Obviously, we want to keep playing baseball but to be here as a regional team and reload – not rebuild – with everything we lost from last year and to maintain the high level of success, that’s the mark of a national team. So really proud of these guys.

 

We had a ton of new guys from all over the place adapt to our culture, which is the strongest thing in our program. That’s what leads you to play in June. And so, so we did it again with different people, and that’s this has a lot about our program and our brand,” added Hughes.

 

Texas (44-13), advancing to the regional finals against UTSA, jumped out to a commanding 6-0 lead in the first inning to back starter Rugar Riojas. After giving up the home run to Seth Dardar, the right-hander retired 18 of the next 19 batters. He improved his record to 9-3 and ended the game allowing seven runs, all earned, on six hits through 7 1/3 innings.

 

In addition to Evasco and Dardar, Keegan O’Connor, Sam Flores and Cayden Phillips each singled.

 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Texas quickly opened scoring in the first frame, spotting K-State starter Tanner Duke and reliever James Guyette for six runs with the help of a two-run homer by Max Belyeu and grand slam from Casey Borba.

 

The Wildcats answered in the bottom of the inning with three runs, as Dee Kennedy walked and moved into scoring position Keegan O’Connor’s shot into center to put runners on the corners. With one out, Dardar shelled his 13^th homer to cut into the Longhorns’ lead to 6-3.

 

After a scoreless second inning, the Longhorns took control of the game, as Borba’s second home run of the game stretched the lead to seven, 10-3.

 

Trailing 14-3, the Wildcats tallied five runs in the final three innings, highlighted by two home runs from Evasco, but the Longhorns held on to advance to the regional finals.

 

INSIDE THE BOX

• K-State scored eight runs on six hits with two errors committed and five runners on base.
• Texas scored 15 runs on 16 hits, committed no errors, and stranded nine men on base.  
• Four different Wildcats recorded a hit, led by two from Evasco (2-for-4) with three RBI.
• K-State had two players homer – Evasco (2), Dardar.
• Duke was spotted for five earned runs on four hits in his 1/3-ining start.
• Texas’ Riojas (9-3) picked up the win, surrendering seven runs, all earned, on six hits with six strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings of work.
• Dardar homered in the first – his second three-run homer at K-State.
• UT had three home runs, led by Borba with two.
• Borba went 4-for-5 with eight RBI.

 TEAM NOTES

• K-State finished the year 32-26 and made its second straight run in the NCAA Tournament – first time making consecutive appearances since 2010-11.
• The Cats were one of six teams from the Big 12 to make it to Sunday.
• Evasco homered twice to break the school’s freshman home run and RBI record.
• K-State is 10-8 all-time during the regional round of the NCAA Tournament, including 4-2 in the Hughes era.
• Dardar is the third Wildcat to homer in the 2025 NCAA Austin Regional.
• Texas’ 15 runs are the most allowed in K-State’s postseason history.

 2025 NCAA AUSTIN REGIONAL

Friday, May 30
1 p.m. CT – Game 1: No. 1 Texas 7, Houston Christian 1
6 p.m. CT – Game 2: No. 2 UTSA 10, K-State 2
 
Saturday, May 31
2 p.m. CT – Game 3: No. 3 K-State 7, No. 4 Houston Christian 4
8 p.m. CT – Game 4: No. 2/1 Texas vs. No. 2 UTSA                
 
Sunday, June 1
2 p.m. CT – Game 5: No. 1 Texas 15, No. 3 K-State 8
6 p.m. CT – Game 6: No. 2 UTSA vs. No. 1 Texas