IRVING, TX (Chambana Today) – Two of the most dominant defenders in Illinois football history are one step closer to joining the sport’s most elite fraternity. The National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame announced its 2026 ballot on Monday, featuring former Fighting Illini linebackers Kevin Hardy and Simeon Rice among the candidates for induction.
Hardy, the 1995 Butkus Award winner, earned consensus First Team All-American honors with a season that included 105 tackles, 15 for loss, and 11 sacks. A two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection, he ranks fifth in Illinois history in sacks and was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft.
Rice, meanwhile, left Champaign as the most prolific pass-rusher in Big Ten history. He remains the conference’s all-time leader in career sacks (44.5) and holds the Illinois record for career tackles for loss (69). A three-time All-Big Ten pick and two-time First Team All-American, he was drafted third overall by Arizona in 1996.
Hardy and Rice aim to become the 19th and 20th Illini inductees into the College Football Hall of Fame. Recent Illini selections include linebacker Dana Howard in 2018 and defensive tackle Moe Gardner in 2022, continuing a legacy that dates back to legends like Red Grange and Dick Butkus.
The 2026 ballot features 79 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision, along with 100 players and 35 coaches from the divisional ranks. Hall of Fame inductees will be announced early next year.