Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Michael Vick, Graham Harrell, and Michael Strahan.
Those are just five of the 22 names inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2025. Not surprising, right?
Well, these five names weren’t inducted, and their exclusion is surprising.
Biggest Snubs From the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class
Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh
What didn’t Aaron Donald do during his Pittsburgh Panthers tenure?
In 2013, he was a unanimous first-team All-American, won the Bednarik, Lombardi, Nagurski, and Outland trophies, and set Pitt’s single-season record for tackles for loss (28.5).
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But Donald wasn’t a one-year wonder. He finished his career as a two-time first-team All-ACC defender, became the program’s all-time leader in TFLs (66), and generated a monster 170-tackle, 27.5-sack, and six-forced fumble résumé across three seasons as a starter.
Marvin Harrison, WR, Syracuse
We all saw what Marvin Harrison Jr. did to defenders while at Ohio State. But don’t let his dominance in the Big Ten overshadow what his father did to Big East defenders at Syracuse.
Marvin Harrison was a three-time all-conference member who broke the Orange’s record for career receiving yards (2,718) while posting a 42-542-2 punt-return line on special teams.
Sean Taylor, DB, Miami
Sean Taylor was a half-man, half-beast on the football field who was taken too soon. While with the Miami Hurricanes, Taylor aimed to severe heads from bodies and helped the school reach consecutive national championships, winning one in 2002.
Taylor earned first-team All-Big East honors in both seasons but truly broke out in his final campaign. He became a finalist for the Thorpe Award and snatched a country-leading 10 interceptions.
James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State
Three-time first-team All-American (consensus in 2006 and 2008; unanimous in 2007). Two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. 2007 Butkus Award winner. 2006 Nagurski Award recipient. Led Ohio State in tackles for three straight seasons.
Like Donald, James Laurinaitis couldn’t achieve much more individual success than he did on the collegiate field. However, unlike Donald, team success didn’t allude him. Ohio State made four consecutive conference titles during his tenure, as well as two national title matches.
Simeon Rice, DL, Illinois
Oh, look, another record-breaking Big Ten defender!
Simeon Rice earned two first-team All-American and three first-team All-Big Ten nods. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact he broke the conference and school record for career sacks (44.5).
KEEP READING: Full 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot
He wasn’t done there, either, setting two more Illini records:
- Career tackles for loss (69)
- Single-season sacks (16)
Other Notable Snubs
- Sebastian Janikowski, K, Florida State
- Tommy Tuberville, HC (Mississippi, Auburn, Texas Tech, Cincinnati)
- Taylor Stubberfield, WR, Purdue
- Eric Weddle, DB, Utah
- Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
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