Several Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia alums are under consideration for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced Monday.
Former Panthers wide receiver Antonio Bryant (1999-2001), quarterback Matt Cavanaugh (1974-77), running back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward (1984-87) and coach Jackie Sherrill (1977-1981) are among 227 individuals who could be enshrined in next year’s class.
Also up for consideration are Penn State wideout Bobby Engram (1991-95) and West Virginia specialist/wideout Tavon Austin (2009-2012), plus former Mountaineers coach Jim Carlen (1966-69).
Slippery Rock’s winningest coach George Mihalik (1988-2015), Carnegie Mellon linebacker Kenneth Murawski (1978-1981) and Westminster running back Brad Tokar (1987-1990) are notable Western Pennsylvania football alums who could be inducted.
The road to the NFF College Football Hall of Fame begins here!
The NFF Ballot was released today to the NFF Members!
Check out the legends on the list:https://t.co/58rdusxjfkpic.twitter.com/fxuExqGzaJ
— National Football Foundation (@NFFNetwork) June 1, 2026
The Class of 2027 ballot will be narrowed down and announced early next year, with an induction ceremony following in Las Vegas during the 2027 college football campaign.
Selection of the 2027 class falls to the NFF’s Honor Court.
Bryant was Pitt’s first Biletnikoff Award winner following his sophomore campaign in 2000, in which he posted 68 catches for 1,302 yards and 11 touchdowns.
That season, he was also a consensus All-American, first-team All-Big East selection and Big East Co-Offensive Player of the Year.
Cavanaugh quarterbacked the Panthers to national dominance, including Pitt’s 1976 national championship season. The MVP of the Sugar Bowl, cementing Pitt as national champions, and 1977 Gator Bowl, Cavanaugh was a first-team All-American as a senior in 1977.
“Ironhead” Heyward, the father of longtime Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward, led the nation in rushing in 1987 (1,791 yards), earning consensus All-American honors and finishing fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Sherill went 50-9-1 as Pitt’s coach, which included four Top-10 national finishes and wins in the 1977 and 1980 Gator Bowl, 1979 Fiesta Bowl and 1982 Sugar Bowl.
Sherrill’s .842 winning percentage is the highest by a coach in program history.
Engram is Penn State’s lone representative on the initial Class of 2027 ballot.
A winner of the Biletnikoff Award and first-team All-American in 1994, he was a three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection for the Nittany Lions, and the first player in school history to post a 1,000-yard receiving season.
Austin was the first player in NCAA history to finish his career with more than 3,000 receiving and 1,000 rushing yards.
A first-team All-American in 2012, Austin had 2,910 all-purpose yards (1,289 receiving, 643 rushing, 813 on kickoff return, 165 as a punt returner) that season. Hr won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player.
Carlen, who also coached at Texas Tech (1970-74) and South Carolina (1975-1981), guided the Mountaineers to a 25-13-1 record over his four seasons in Morgantown.
Carlen coached Heisman Trophy-winning Gamecocks tailback George Rogers in 1980 and went 107-69-6 as a college coach.
Mihalik owns the most wins in Slippery Rock program history, leading the program from 1988-2015. A six-time PSAC Coach of the Year, Mihalik had a winning record in 22 of his 28 seasons and guided Slippery Rock to the NCAA Playoffs six times.
Murawski was a first-team All-American for Carnegie Mellon in 1981 at the Division III level and totaled 243 tackles with nine interceptions.
Tokar is Westminster’s all-time leading rusher with 5,269 yards. He led the program to a pair of NAIA Division II national titles (1988, 1989) and was a first-team All-NAIA All-American in 1988 and 1990.