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Pro Football Hall of Fame 2026 nominations includes 3 Gators

On3 imageby: Keith Niebuhr09/24/25On3Keith
Florida Gators
2 Nov 1996: Florida Gators head coach Steve Spurrier gives instructions to running back Fred Taylor during a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Jacksonville Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Florida won the game, 47-7.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday revealed the 128 modern-era players nominated for consideration for the Class of 2026 — and three Florida Gators made the list: running back Fred Taylor, offensive tackle Lomas Brown and center Maurkice Pouncey.

Taylor was one of 15 finalists for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame the most recent cycle, did not make the final cut. Running back Emmitt Smith and defensive end Jack Youngblood are Florida’s only former players to make it.

Overall, this was Taylor’s 11th year of eligibility but his candidacy has picked up steam in recent years. Taylor, who earned All-SEC and All-American honors at Florida, helped lead the Gators to the 1996 national title. He then went No. 9 overall in the 1998 NFL Draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
During his 13-year pro career, Taylor rushed for 11,695 yards and 66 touchdowns — and had 290 receptions for 2,384 yards and eight touchdowns. He was second-team All-Pro in 2007 when he rushed for 1,202 yards.

All told, Taylor had seven 1,000-yards seasons. He is No. 17 on the NFL’s career rushing list and his 4.6-yards-per carry average is behind only legends Barry Sanders and Jim Brown among NFL players who had more career rushing yards. Taylor was a member of the 1998 All-Rookie team. He ranked in the top 10 for rushing in a season six times in his career and twice was in the top three.

Brown, who played at Florida from 1981-84 and is widely recognized as the best offensive lineman in school history, played 263 NFL games and made 251 starts. He was first-team All-Pro in 1995, second-team All-Pro four times and a seven-time Pro Bowl pick. He was for many years the anchor of a line that blocked for All-Pro running back Barry Sanders.

Pouncey is one of 13 players eligible for the first time. For him, making the Hall of Fame probably is a matter of when, not if. A Gators standout from 2007–2009, Pouncey was a two-time first-team All-Pro center and three-time second-team selection. He was a nine-time Pro Bowl pick and a member of the NFL’s all-decade team from 2010-19. He played in 134 games, all with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Per the Hall’s official website, “In the next step in the selection process, a Screening Committee will reduce the list to 50 (plus ties, if any, for the 50th spot). The results of that reduction will be announced in mid-October. The full 50-person Hall of Fame Selection Committee then will reduce the list further – to 25 Semifinalists, later this fall. Another vote will create the list of 15 Modern-Era Player Finalists who will be discussed at the annual selection meeting ahead of Super Bowl LX. The Class of 2026 can consist of three, four or five Modern-Era Players under the Hall of Fame’s bylaws.”

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