CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - Former Illinois players Kevin Hardy and Simeon Rice are on the 2027 ballot for enshrinement into the College Football Hall of Fame.Â
Illinois Athletics stated that the National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame announced the news on Monday.
The ballot includes 80 players and nine coaches from the FBS level alone.Â
U of I Athletics said Kevin Hardy was a consensus first team All-American and won the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker in 1995.Â
Rice is the Big Ten's career sack leader (44.5) and also set the program record for single-season sacks (16).
He also won the 2003 Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Eighteen former Illini are currently enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, with former defensive tackle Moe Gardner being the most recent inductee in 2022.Â
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