Skip to main content
You are the owner of this article.
Edit Article Add New Article
You have permission to edit this article.
Edit

LATEST

Josh Heupel, Rocky Calmus on College Football Hall of Fame ballot

Oklahoma-Tennessee football

Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel during the game against Tennessee Nov. 1.

 Annie Davenport/OU Daily

Stay in the loop

Get our top OU and Norman stories in your inbox. Free newsletter sign up

Former OU players Josh Heupel and Rocky Calmus are on the 2027 ballot for the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame, according to an OU Athletics Communications press release.

Heupel and Calmus are among 80 players listed from the Football Bowl Subdivision and are repeat honorees. This marks the eighth consecutive time Heupel has been on the ballot, while it is Calmus' fifth year appearing on it. 

Heupel played quarterback for the Sooners in 1999-2000 and was runner-up for the 2000 Heisman Trophy when he became OU's first consensus All-American quarterback. He led the Sooners to a national championship in 2000 to cap off a 13-0 season. The remarkable season came only a year after finishing 7-5, and the Sooners were 5-6 in 1998 before Heupel transferred to Norman after playing at Weber State and Snow Junior College. He still ranks No. 5 in school history in career passing yards.

Heupel was OU's quarterbacks coach in 2006-10 and the co-offensive coordinator in 2011-14. He has been Tennessee's head coach since 2021. 

Calmus played linebacker for the Sooners in 1998-2001. He was the AP Big 12 defensive player of the year in 2000 and received first-team All-American honors. He won the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker in 2001 and finished his career ranked No. 4 in school history with 431 tackles. He still holds a career program record in tackles for loss with 59.

Former linebacker George Cumby (1975-79) will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December 2026. He started his Sooner career as a running back before moving to linebacker ahead of the 1977 season. He earned three first-team All-Big Eight honors, was named the 1977 Big Eight defensive newcomer of the year and finished as the Big Eight defensive player of the year in back-to-back seasons in 1978-79. He was a unanimous All-American in 1979.

Cumby will become OU's 25th former player in the College Hall of Fame and sixth straight defensive player.

The 2027 NFF College Football Hall of Fame class will be in announced in early 2027.

OU Daily standards

See an error? Earning trust is our duty. We correct errors atop stories. Identify an error, request a takedown or get in touch.

Independent and free since 1916: OU is committed to our editorial independence. You can help ensure our reporting remains strong and accessible to all invested in OU and Norman.

Want to comment? We value dialogue on issues we cover. On our social media accounts, we moderate disparagements, arguments and attacks, including those directed at our staff — and ban those repeatedly failing civility. The editor considers guest column submissions.