On Monday, the College Football Hall of Fame released the names that will be on the 2024 ballot which include former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera and legendary defensive end, Julius Peppers.
Rivera played his college football at the University of California where he started for three seasons and left as the program's all-time leader in tackles (336) and sacks (22). After a dominant senior season for the Golden Bears, Rivera was named a consensus All-American and the PAC 10 Defensive Player of the Year. He served as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers for nine years (2011-19) and collected a total of 76 wins and made an appearance in Super Bowl 50.
Julius Peppers was drafted 2nd overall in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Panthers after a stellar career at North Carolina. Peppers led the nation with 15 sacks as a sophomore. Following his junior season in 2001, Peppers was named the winner of the Chuck Bednarik Award (Defensive Player of the Year) and also earned consensus All-American status. Peppers spent 10 years with the Panthers over stints and collected 441 tackles, 107 tackles for loss, 97 sacks, and 34 forced fumbles. He was a 9X Pro Bowl selection and 3X All-Pro.
The 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be inducted during the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 10, 2024.
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