Garrison Hearst and Champ Bailey on 2022 Hall of Fame Ballot
The National Football Foundation released its 2022 College Football Hall of Fame ballot on Wednesday and the list includes a pair of Georgia Football legends.
Champ Bailey and Garrison Hearst made the ballot alongside 76 other former FBS players.
Champ Bailey
Bailey was Georgia's last true two-way player. In 1998, he had multiple games where he appeared in over 100 plays.
Bailey won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and finished No. 7 in Heisman voting in 1998 for his efforts as a shutdown cornerback. Quarterbacks rarely threw in his direction that year, and when they did, he made them pay by intercepting three passes.
In 1997, Bailey started playing some snaps at wide receiver, and he had a breakout year at the position a year later. In 1998, Bailey led Georgia's offense with 47 catches for 744 yards and five touchdowns. He also carried the ball 16 times for 84 yards. Between receptions, carries, interceptions and kick returns, Bailey finished his Georgia career with 131 touches for 1,655 all-purpose yards.
His proficiency on defense carried over into the NFL where he was arguably the best cornerback of his era. He played in 12 Pro Bowls and was a seven-time All-Pro. After intercepting 18 passes across the 2005 and 2006 seasons, quarterbacks stopped throwing to him. After a fantastic 15-year career, Bailey entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
Garrison Hearst
Two Georgia Bulldogs have won the Heisman Trophy, but Hearst almost brought that total to three in 1992. As a junior, Hearst broke the school record for touchdowns with 21. He also gained 1,547 yards on 228 carries while catching 22 passes for 324 yards.
Ultimately, Hearst ended up third in Heisman Trophy voting behind Marshall Faulk and winner Gino Torretta. However, he did win the Doak Walker Award that goes to the top running back in college.
Very few Bulldogs before or since have matched Hearst's impact on their team. He accounted for over a third of Georgia's offensive yards in 1992 and over half of the team's touchdowns. With Hearst at its core, Georgia went 10-2 that season and was just three points away from winning the inaugural SEC Eastern Division championship.
Joining good company
Bailey and Hearst would be the 16th and 17th Georgia players to enter the College Football Hall of Fame. The most recent inductee was David Pollack in 2020. Matt Stinchcomb entered the Hall in 2018 and Scott Woerner preceded him in 2016.
Both joining the Hall of Fame in 2022 would be monumental since the last time two Bulldogs entered the Hall together was 1954 when Bob McWhorter and Frank Sinkwich were inducted.
