Three Oklahoma Sooners legends nominated for College Football Hall of Fame and they all deserve to get in
The National Football Foundation has released their ballot for the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class, with 79 players eligible to receive votes for the upcoming class. The ballot features Heisman winners like Baylor's Robert Griffin III, Alabama's Mark Ingram, and Auburn's Cam Newton. Several other superstars like Ndamukong Suh, Ryan Leaf, Percy Harvin, […]
The National Football Foundation has released their ballot for the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class, with 79 players eligible to receive votes for the upcoming class.
The ballot features Heisman winners like Baylor's Robert Griffin III, Alabama's Mark Ingram, and Auburn's Cam Newton. Several other superstars like Ndamukong Suh, Ryan Leaf, Percy Harvin, Peter Warrick, Dallas Clark, and Aaron Donald all appeared on the ballot as well.
Three Sooners were named on the ballot this year, and all three have a strong case to make it into the Hall of Fame: Linebackers Rocky Calmus and George Cumbs, and quarterback Josh Heupel.
Here's the case for each of these three.
Josh Heupel
Heupel didn't set the world on fire with his stats as a player, but he is one of the biggest names in Oklahoma history for his part in winning Oklahoma's last national championship in 2000.
That season, he was named Associated Press Player of the Year, Walter Camp Player of the Year, The Sporting News Player of the Year, CBS Sports Player of the Year and Big 12 Player of the Year, Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, AP Player of the Year, won the Walter Camp, Archie Griffin, and Chic Harley Awards, and was a Consensus All-American. On top of that, he was a two-time All-Big 12 player, capping off with a National Championship victory. Many felt (and still feel) he was robbed of the Heisman trophy, which went to Florida State's Chris Weinke (who Heupel beat in the national championship).
Heupel's performance still stands strong today in Oklahoma history. He left Oklahoma with virtually every passing record, and still ranks in the top five in school history in career passing yards (fifth), career completions (654; third), and career passing attempts (1,025; third), and ranks sixth in career touchdown passes (53).
Heupel has also had some memorable moments as a coach. As the offensive coordinator for Oklahoma, he helped the Sooners to two Big-12 titles and guided Landry Jones to the career passing yards record for Oklahoma.
As a head coach, he won the American Conference at UCF. While at Tennessee, he won SEC Coach of the Year in 2022, helping the Vols to their second-most wins in school history. This season, he guided the Vols to a College Football Playoff appearance, and currently sits with a 37-15 record at Tennessee and 65-23 overall.
George Cumby
One of the greatest defensive players in the history of Oklahoma football, Cumby helped establish the Sooners as one of the premier linebacker pipelines in college football.
Cumby spent his first two seasons at OU as a running back in the Sooners' Wishbone offense, but he converted to linebacker ahead of the 1977 campaign. After making that switch, the Texas product carved out one of the greatest careers in history.
Cumby earned three first-team All-Big Eight honors, was named 1977 Big Eight Defensive Newcomer of the Year, and 1978 and '79 Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year. He was a first-team All-American in 1997 and 1998 by the Associated Press and a unanimous All-American in 1979.
In an infamous quote, Barry Switzer described Cumby as "the only person I know who could go one-on-one with Earl Campbell and knock him backwards".
Cumby finished his career ranked second in OU history with 437 tackles despite his late start on defense. His five interceptions in 1978 are still tied for the most by an Oklahoma linebacker in a season.
He led OU with 160 tackles in 1979 (fourth most in program history), had 154 in 1977, and 123 in 1978. He became only the third OU linebacker to record at least 100 tackles in three separate seasons, joining Rod Shoate and Daryl Hunt. Shoate was named a College Hall of Famer early in the 2000s.
Rocky Calmus
Perhaps the most iconic name in Oklahoma history, Rocky Calmus was the defensive leader behind Bob Stoops' early teams and was one of the biggest players in Oklahoma's national championship in 2000.
In his first season at Oklahoma, he registered 114 tackles and 14 tackles for loss as a sophomore to help lead OU to its first bowl game since 1994. By his second, he was setting the tone for Oklahoma's championship run, setting career highs of 125 tackles and 17 TFLs en route to AP Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-America honors. Calmus was a two-time Consensus All-American in 2000 and 2001 and was a three-time All-Big 12 player.
Calmus won the Butkus and Jack Lambert Awards in 2001 for the best linebacker in the country. Calmus still holds career program records for tackles for loss, sacks by an inside linebacker, pass breakups by a linebacker, and fumble recoveries by a linebacker. He also logged three interceptions (with two pick-sixes), 29 quarterback hurries, five forced fumbles, and three blocked kicks. His 44 career starts rank as the second most by a linebacker in school history.
With all of these accolades, it feels like it's only a matter of time before these three all find their way into the College Football Hall of Fame. Only 12 nominees make it in each year, however, which makes it a difficult nod to earn. Still, all three of these players deserve that incredible recognition.
