Kuechly Earns Spot on College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

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IRVING, Texas – Former Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly was included in the College Football Hall of Fame’s 2023 ballot as announced by the National Football Foundation on Monday morning. Kuechly is one of 80 FBS players on the ballot and the first Eagle to be included since Pete Mitchell on the 2021 ballot.

Kuechly is a two-time First Team All-American, earning unanimous selection in 2010 and consensus status in 2011. He garnered the Butkus Award, Nagurski Award, and Lombardi Trophy in 2011. He was also the 2011 ACC Defensive Player of the Year to cap a career with All-ACC first-team honors all three seasons. His 532 career tackles are both a BC and ACC record and rank second in NCAA history.

Following his career at Boston College, Kuechly was the No. 9 overall selection of the Carolina Panthers in 2012. He played eight games in the NFL, all with Carolina, earning three First-Team All-Pro selections and seven Pro Bowl nods. Kuechly was the 2012 Defensive Rookie of the Year and 2013 Defensive Player of the Year. He accumulated 1,092 tackles in the NFL with 18 interceptions and 12.5 sacks.

Kuechly retired following the 2019 season. This year marks his first year of eligibility on the ballot.

The criteria for Hall of Fame consideration include:

First and foremost, a player must have received First-Team All-America recognition by a selector that is recognized by the NCAA and utilized to comprise its consensus All-America teams.
A player becomes eligible for consideration by the Foundation’s Honors Courts 10 full seasons after his final year of intercollegiate football played.
While each nominee’s football achievements in college are of prime consideration, his post-football record as a citizen is also weighed. He must have proven himself worthy as a citizen, carrying the ideals of football forward into his relations with his community. Consideration may also be given for academic honors and whether the candidate earned a college degree.
Players must have played their last year of intercollegiate football within the last 50 years.* For example, to be eligible for the 2023 ballot, the player must have played his last year in 1973 or thereafter. In addition, players who are playing professionally and coaches who are coaching on the professional level are not eligible until after they retire.
A coach becomes eligible three full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he is at least 70 years of age. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He must have been a head football coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.
Nominations may only be submitted by the current athletics director, head coach or sports information director (SID) of a potential candidate’s collegiate institution. Nominations may also be submitted by the president/executive director of a dues-paying chapter of the National Football Foundation.