College Football Legend Will Become Hall of Fame Eligible Due to Rule Change

Mike Leach will posthumously enter the College Football Hall of Fame.

College football legend Mike Leach is now eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame. | Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

The path has finally been cleared for late college football coaching legend Mike Leach to enter the sport's Hall of Fame.

The College Football Hall of Fame announced that beginning in 2027, the win percentage necessary for induction will be lowered from 60.0% to 59.5%. This change will allow Leach to posthumously enter the Hall.

Great news for Mike Leach fans: College Football Hall of Fame will lower win percentage in 2027 from 60 to 59.5 percent, which will make the former Mississippi State/Texas Tech/Washington State eligible to join the hall

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) May 29, 2025

Leach died in December of 2022 at the age of 61 of heart-related complications. At the time of his death, he was finishing up his third season as the head coach at Mississippi State, where the program went 8-4.

Leach concluded his career with a 158-107 record across 21 seasons with Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State, good for a 59.6% winning percentage. The mark had previously left him just short of Hall of Fame eligibility, despite his immense impact on the sport with his prolific air raid offense that proved extremely difficult to defend.

Now he will soon be eligible to enter the Hall of Fame where he belongs.

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