Three Former Gators Nominated for Pro Football Hall Of Fame

Three former Florida Gators legends have been nominated for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class: running back Fred Taylor, center Maurkice Pouncey and offensive tackle Lomas Brown.

Headlined by Taylor, who was shockingly not selected out of last year’s class, the three are amongst 128 players nominated, looking to join two Florida Gators in the hall of fame already, Emmitt Smith and Jack Youngblood.

The nomination is just step one of a long process, where a committee will reduce candidates to 50 in October, then to 25 finalists, then to 15 finalists who will be voted on by the selection meeting in February.

Fred Taylor

Fred Taylor had one of the best careers all-time from a Gator in the pros after being selected ninth overall in the NFL draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1998. In 13 seasons in the league, he ran for 11,695 yards, playing 11 years in Jacksonville and two for the New England Patriots.

At Florida, the electric playmaker rushed for over 3,000 yards in four collegiate seasons. He left Florida ranked third in school history with 3,792 total yards and fourth with 31 touchdowns and was the highest drafted Gators back since in 1969.

Taylor has already been a finalist for the Hall of Fame twice, hoping the 2026 class is finally his time to make it in.

Maurkice Pouncey

After an illustrious career at Florida, Maurkice Pouncey became the first Gators center to ever be taken in the first round of the NFL draft, selected 18th overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He would go on to play 10 years for the Steelers, making the pro bowl in nine of them and earning two first-team all pro selections.

At Florida, Pouncey was a star for the Gators, starting in 39 of his 41 games played in college before declaring for the draft. On top of winning a national championship under Urban Meyer, he would become the first Gator to ever win the Remington Award, as well as being a consensus All-American in 2009.

His class of 2026 hall of fame nomination was the first he has received.

Lomas Brown

A team captain of the first Florida Gators team to ever win an SEC championship- later vacated- Lomas Brown is known as one of the universities greatest players. The tackle is currently Florida’s highest selected player at the position in school history, drafted sixth overall to the Detroit Lions in 1985. He would play a whopping 18 years in the Pro league between five teams, making seven pro bowl appearances and starting in 251 of 263 career games.

In college, Brown was a member of ‘The Great Wall of Florida’, starting in 34 games for the Gators and earning a first team All-American selection in 1984 on top being named the recipient of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy for best blocker in the SEC. He is now a member of the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame.

His class of 2026 hall of fame nomination was the first he has received.

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