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2024 College Football Hall of Fame ballot features three former Spartans

June 6, 2023

The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced the 2024 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame earlier this week.

The Football Bowl Subdivision of the ballot is made up of 78 players and nine coaches—three of whom are former Spartans.

Former Michigan State University offensive tackle Flozell Adams, as well as former head coaches Mark Dantonio and Darryl Rogers, are featured on the ballot. They now have the opportunity to join ten Spartan players and four former coaches immortalized in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Adams earned first-team All-American honors, was named Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year and was only allowed two sacks during his senior season in 1997.

The Illinois native went on to be drafted 38th overall by the Dallas Cowboys in 1998, playing 12 seasons with Dallas before spending his final season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010. Over the course of his NFL career, Adams appeared in 198 games and was a five-time Pro Bowler.

From 1976-1979, Darryl Rodgers led the Spartans and helped the team secure the 1978 Big Ten championship. That same year, Rodgers was named Big Ten Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year by Sporting News.

Despite his success at Michigan State, some of Rodgers's greatest achievements came before he even stepped foot in East Lansing. The former head coach guided Fresno State to two bowl games in his six seasons with the Bulldogs, and during his time at San Jose State, the SJSU Spartans were nationally ranked for the first time in 30 years.

The most recent Spartan on the 2024 ballot is former head coach Mark Dantonio. Dantonio spent 13 seasons from 2007-2019 as Michigan State's head coach and became the winningest coach in Spartan history with 114 wins.

With three Big Ten Championships, six bowl wins and a trip to the College Football Playoffs, Dantonio’s resume from his time at MSU is jam-packed with accolades, earning him two Big Ten Coach of the Year honors.

The 2024 ballot was sent out to over 12,000 National Football Foundation members and current Hall of Famers to be voted on, but the 2024 Hall of Fame class is not set to be announced until the beginning of 2024.

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