Former Nebraska Heisman-winning quarterback Eric Crouch and Outland Trophy award winner Zach Wiegert are among 76 former Football Bowl Subdivision players on the 2016 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot, which was released by the National Football Foundation on Tuesday.
Crouch is on the ballot for the fifth straight year, while this year marks the first time Wiegert had made an appearance. The 2016 class will be announced on Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, the Friday before the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Crouch will look to become the second Husker quarterback in the College Hall of Fame, joining Tommie Frazier who was part of the 2013 class. Crouch became Nebraska’s third Heisman Trophy winner in 2001 after leading the Huskers to the National Championship game. An option-based quarterback out of Omaha’s Millard North High School, Crouch set the NCAA record for career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 59, and he amassed 7,915 career total offensive yards. A consensus All-American in 2001, Crouch also reeled in the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Davey O’Brien Award and the Sporting News Offensive Player of the Year award.
Wiegert was a 1994 unanimous first team All-American and is one of eight Huskers to win the Outland Trophy. A native of Fremont, Neb., Wiegert helped lead the Huskers to 1994 National Championship after NU played in the 1993 title game. The Huskers averaged 340 yards per game on the ground in 1994 and Wiegert led Nebraska with 113 pancake blocks. He even earned one first-place vote for the Heisman, ending up tied for ninth with 27 points. In addition to winning the Outland, he was a finalist for the Lombardi Award, a consensus All-American, the UPI Lineman of the Year and the Touchdown Club of Columbus Offensive Lineman of the Year. His No. 72 jersey was retired before the 1995 season.
Trev Alberts became the 17th Nebraska player in the College Football Hall of Fame and will be inducted in December. He was the fourth Husker in seven years to be named to the Hall, joining 2013 inductee Tommie Frazier, 2011 honoree Will Shields and 2009 inductee Grant Wistrom.