After a decorated football career, Aaron Donald retired, with immortality in the sport all but assured. Those moments continue to arrive.
Pitt, where Donald starred from 2010-13 before a dominant 10-year NFL career, inducted him into its athletics hall of fame in September and retired his No. 97 jersey in mid-November.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is sure to come calling once Donald, who retired at age 32 in 2023, reaches the five-year threshold for candidacy consideration.
On Wednesday afternoon, Donald was announced as a Class of 2026 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Ga.
The honors and awards keep coming…
Aaron Donald has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. ????https://t.co/3mobLn3NDFpic.twitter.com/PLDURXsPht
— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) January 14, 2026
“Aaron Donald represents everything we value at Pitt: Humility, toughness and an unwavering commitment to excellence,” athletic director Allen Greene said in a statement. “His impact extends far beyond the field and his legacy continues to inspire our student-athletes and our entire community. His selection to the National Football Foundation’s 2026 College Football Hall of Fame is a fitting honor for one of the greatest players ever to wear a Pitt uniform and we look forward to celebrating him this December.”
The 2026 class will officially be inducted Dec. 8 in Las Vegas.
The rest of this year’s class of players include: Jerry Azumah, Ki-Jana Carter, Bruce Collie, George Cumby, Marvin Harrison, Garrison Hearst, Chris Hudson, Mark Ingram, Olin Kreutz, James Laurinaitis, Jordan Lynch, Herman Moore, Terence Newman, Bob Novogratz, Ndamukong Suh, Peter Warrick and Eric Weddle.
Former coaches Jim Margraff (posthumous), Gary Patterson, Chris Petersen and Ken Sparks completed the class.
Carter was a standout running back at Penn State from 1991-94 and the first overall selection in the 1995 NFL Draft.
With the Nittany Lions, he was a first-team All-Big Ten and unanimous All-American selection in 1994, finishing as Heisman Trophy runner-up behind a 1,539-yard rushing campaign, as Penn State ended the year ranked No. 2 in the nation.
The 1995 Rose Bowl MVP, Penn State went 40-9 over four years with Carter on the roster.
He becomes the 21st Nittany Lions player to make it to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Donald, a Penn Hills native, was originally announced as eligible last June, along with two fellow Panthers alums in quarterback Matt Cavanaugh and running back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward.
Including Donald, Pitt will now have 26 associated individuals in the College Football Hall of Fame. Most recently, Larry Fitzgerald was inducted as part of the Class of 2024.
Along with Donald and Fitzgerald, the other Pitt alums enshrined are: Ruben Brown (1991-94), Len Casanova (1950, coach), Jimbo Covert (1978-82), Averell Daniell (1934-36), Tom Davies (1918-21), Mike Ditka (1958-60), Joseph Donchess (1927-29), Tony Dorsett (1973-76), Bill Fralic (1981-84), Hugh Green (1977-80), Marshall Goldberg (1936-38), John Majors (1954-56, as a player at Tennessee), Dan Marino (1979-82), Mark May (1977-80), Herb McCracken (1918-20), George McLaren (1915-18), Robert Peck (1913-16), Joe Schmidt (1950-52), Joe Skladany (1931-33), Herb Stein (1918-21), Dr. John B. Sutherland (1914-17 as a player, 1924-38 as coach), Joseph Thompson (1904-06 as a player, 1908-12 as coach), Hube Wagner (1910-13) and Glenn “Pop” Warner (1915-23, coach).
Donald’s 2013 campaign at Pitt alone earned him the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy, on top of unanimous All-American and ACC Defensive Player of the Year accolades.
In his Pitt career, he recorded 67 tackles for loss and 29½ sacks over 52 games, in which Pitt went 27-25, never finishing better than 8-5 with Donald on the team.
“Aaron set a new standard at Pitt and then carried that standard with him to the highest level of football,” said coach Pat Narduzzi, who took over at Pitt two years after Donald departed for the NFL. “What the world witnessed during his time in the NFL is a direct reflection of who he was right here in Pittsburgh.
“He was relentless, disciplined and dominant. He showed everyone what Pitt football looks like, and he’s the blueprint for every player who comes through this program. Aaron Donald is Pitt, and we couldn’t be prouder to celebrate his College Football Hall of Fame induction.”
After being chosen 13th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, Donald went on to play his entire professional career with the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams through 2023, winning a Super Bowl LVI ring, three Defensive Player of the Year awards and 10 Pro Bowl selections.