Deacon Jones Trophy to honor best football players at HBCUs

The Black College Football Hall of Fame has established the Deacon Jones Trophy, which will be awarded yearly to the most outstanding player at a historically

The Black College Football Hall of Fame has established the Deacon Jones Trophy, which will be awarded yearly to the most outstanding player at a historically black college or university.

The winner will be announced Feb. 25 in Atlanta.

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

• Georgia
• Utah
• Alabama
• UCLA
• Notre Dame
• Texas
• Miami (FL)
• Tennessee
• Indiana
• BYU
• Kentucky
• Texas Tech

PREREGISTER TO PLAY

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See Official Rules for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

The Black College Football Hall of Fame was founded by former NFL quarterbacks Doug Williams and James Harris. In May, it was announced the BCFHOF will make a permanent home at the Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio, where the Pro Football Hall of Fame is located.

A watch list of 52 players from all levels of college football for the Deacon Jones Trophy was also announced.

Jones played at Mississippi Valley State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference before going on to a Hall of Fame career in the NFL.