Penn State’s Ki-Jana Carter, Courtney Brown on 2026 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

A pair of former Penn State players have landed on the ballot for the NFF College Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2026.

Ki-Jana Carter, the star running back of the Nittany Lions’ undefeated 1994 team, and defensive end Courtney Brown were on Monday named as two of 79 players under consideration for induction.

This marks Carter’s fourth consecutive year on the ballot. He was unanimous first-team All-American and the Heisman Trophy runner-up in 1994, and was named the MVP in Penn State’s 38-20 win over Oregon in that year’s Rose Bowl.

Brown remains the Nittany Lions’ all-time leader in tackles for loss and sacks, even 25 years after his departure. In 1999, Brown was named a unanimous first-team All-American and the Big Ten’s defensive player of the year.

Carter and Brown were each selected with the No. 1 overall picks in their respective NFL drafts. 

Carter was in 1994 drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, with whom he played for four seasons before other stints with Washington and the New Orleans Saints. He rushed for 1,144 yards and 20 touchdowns across seven years in the league.

Brown went off the board first overall to the Cleveland Browns in 2000, when teammate LaVar Arrington followed him at No. 2 to Washington. Brown combined for 19 sacks and 36 tackles for loss across five seasons in Cleveland and one with the Denver Broncos.

Arrington was inducted in 2022 and, this past year, fellow linebacker Paul Posluszny was too. Posluszny, a two-time winner of the Bednarik Award, became the 21st Penn State player to enshrine his name with the College Football Hall of Fame.

Brown and Carter have an opportunity to further grow that list in the coming year.