Former Auburn All-American Named Seminfinalist for Pro Football HOF

The Auburn Tigers star of the 1990s make his mark on the NFL during his time with the Cincinnati Bengals

Another Auburn Tigers star has a shot to reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame | Enquirer file / USA TODAY NETWORK

A former Auburn Tigers All-SEC team member is making his push for Canton. Offensive tackle Willie Anderson was named among the 26 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame 2026 Class. This is the sixth time that he has been named a finalist. 

Should he get voted in, he would be the third player to have played for Auburn to be inducted. Frank Gatski and Kevin Greene are the two former Auburn players enshrined so far.

The Mobile, Ala., native spent the bulk of his NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals, as well as a year with the Baltimore Ravens. During his pro career, he was named an All-Pro four times, three of which were First Team, and he made the Pro Bowl four times. The 11 quarterback pressures Anderson allowed in 2006 were the fourth-fewest pressures allowed by an offensive tackle in a season between 2006 and 2019.

He’s in the Bengals Ring of Honor and was also a member of their 40th and 50th anniversary teams. He’s left his mark on a team, and now, a case gets to be made for his overall mark on the NFL as a whole. 

Anderson played for Auburn from 1993 to 1995. He was the 10th-overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft. During his time on the Plains, he was named First Team All-SEC twice (1994, 1995) and was a one-time Second Team All-American (1995). 

The next step for the Hall of Fame ballot will be to cut the list of finalists down to 15. Anderson was a finalist last year, too. It increases his chances of getting at least that far again. The finalists list will be announced later this year. 

Once it’s all said and done, between four and eight potential inductees will have themselves voted to be enshrined in Canton. 

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 will be announced at “NFL Honors” in San Francisco in February and enshrined in August in Canton.