Three Gators Nominated for 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class
The nominees for the 2026 NFL Hall of Fame were announced Wednesday, and three former Gators were named.
Running back Fred Taylor, offensive tackle Lomas Brown, and center Maurkice Pouncey all have the chance to have their names forever enshrined in Canton.
Fred Taylor played all four of his college seasons (1994-1997) at Florida, recording over 3,000 yards rushing across 38 games. He was most notably a member of the 1996 national championship team. His best season came in 1997, when he finished second in the SEC in both rushing yards (1,292) and rushing touchdowns (13).
Taylor began his NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected him ninth overall in 1998. He spent 11 seasons with the Jaguars, highlighted by his 2007 season in which he made the Pro Bowl and the Associated Press All-Pro Second Team. His rookie season was also memorable, when he recorded 1,223 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting that season.
Finishing his career with two seasons with the New England Patriots, Taylor never reached the heights of his 2007 season again. This is the eighth time Taylor has been nominated for the Hall of Fame and he has reached the semifinals list twice.
Offensive tackle Lomas Brown also spent four years with the Gators. While his teams did not see the same level of success as Taylor’s, he finished with a 33-12-2 record. He played on the 1984 team that struggled to begin the season but closed 8-0 behind new coach Galen Hall.
Brown was drafted sixth overall by the Detroit Lions in 1985. He played for five teams over his 18-year career, with the highlight being a stretch of seven straight Pro Bowl appearances from 1990-1996. He made the Associated Press All-Pro Second Teams twice in that span, and the First Team once.
As a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003, Brown claimed a Super Bowl ring. He did not appear in any game that season. Another notch in Brown’s belt, he was penalized only 62 times across 263 appearances. Brown was first nominated for the Hall of Fame in 2022.
Maurkice Pouncey spent only three years with Florida (2007-2009), declaring for the NFL Draft after his junior season. He was a member of the 2008 national championship team and named the winner of the Dave Rimington Trophy as the nation’s best center in 2009. He rode this success to become the 18th overall pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010.
Pouncey was named to nine Pro Bowls in 10 seasons, all with the Steelers. The one season he was not named to the Pro Bowl he appeared in just one game. He tore both his ACL and MCL in the first game of the 2013 season.
This is Pouncey’s first year of Hall of Fame eligibility, but he has factors working in his favor. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fames All-Decade Team for the 2010s. He also made the Associated Press All-Pro First Team twice and the Second Team three times.
Category: College Football, Football, Former Gators, Gators Football, Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
