Why Willie Fritz is Fighting For Case Keenum to Make Hall of Fame
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The Houston Cougars have had some of the greatest quarterbacks in college football history. Andre Ware was a true pioneer of the sport with his 1989 record-setting Heisman Trophy-winning season and he became the first black quarterback to win that award.
Ware was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. That's an achievement that Case Keenum has surprisingly not gotten yet. In fact, the prolific Houston passer is shockingly not even eligible for the Hall of Fame at the moment. That is, unless a rule that has been strictly enforced gets changed.
In order to make the College Football Hall of Fame, an inductee must have earned a First-Team All-America recognition according to the National Football Foundation. That recognition must also be made from one of five NCAA recognized selectors: The Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Football Foundation and The Sporting News.
Keenum, who was widely considered one of the great college quarterbacks of all-time, received a First-Team All-America honor in 2009 by College Football News, which isn't a recognized selector. Keenum was underrated during his time in college (2007-2011) due to the fact of famous Heisman Trophy winners such as Sam Bradford and Robert Griffin III.
Bradford, Griffin III, or Colt McCoy were among the eligible First-Team selections at quarterback. Keenum was still a record-setting quarterback at Houston and was one of the greatest passers in the history of college football. He lit up defenses with his arm in the famous Air Raid passing offense.
Keenum threw for 19,217 career passing yards and 155 passing touchdowns, both of which are current NCAA records. Keenum also holds the record for completions (1546), 300-yard games, and multiple 5,000-yard passing seasons. The Brownwood, Texas native led Houston to a 41-16 record and is the only player in Division I history to throw for 5,000 yards in three different seasons.
Houston coach Willie Fritz wants all these incredible accomplishments to be recognized at the highest level. Fritz understands what Keenum achieved at Houston and the impact he had on the program that he is now the head coach for.
Fritz has taken the matter into his own hands and recently submitted a nomination letter to get college football's all-time leading passer on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time.
Fritz Pushing for Keenum as a Hall of Famer
“Case Keenum is one of the most decorated, respected and accomplished players in the history of college football. I think it would be inappropriate for this sport’s leader in so many categories to be left out of the Hall of Fame,” Fritz wrote in the letter obtained by the Houston Chronicle to the selection committee. “He is absolutely deserving of this honor.”
The former two-star recruit out of Wylie Abilene, became a two-time Sammy Baugh Award winner, given to the best passer in college football. Keenum was a two-time Conference USA MVP and three-time first-team all-conference selection. Houston won two bowl games with him as quarterback.
“He was consistently one of the best passers during the entirety of his college career and should without a doubt be considered one of the best college QBs of all time,” Fritz said in the letter.
Keenum still remains the NCAA's all-time leader in total yards (20,114) while second in total touchdowns and number of 400-yard games (19). Fritz made a key point in the letter and mentioned how these six national records were accomplished in just four seasons and how much more he could've done with five full seasons. Keenum's 2010 season was cut short to three games because of a knee injury.
Fritz wants one of the greatest Houston Cougars of all-time to get the recognition they deserve. He's encouraging fellow Cougars to help get Keenum into the Hall of Fame.
The two other requirements besides being a First-Team All-American is being considered 10 full seasons after their last collegiate season and post-football record as a citizen.
Keenum meets both those requirements and has become a staple name among the NFL quarterback community. While initially undrafted, Keenum will now be entering his 14th NFL season. He's been with eight different teams and has thrown for 15,175 yards along with 85 total touchdowns in 80 games.
Keenum was the quarterback for one of the greatest plays in NFL history, the Minneapolis Miracle back in 2018 that sent the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game. He's now become a mentor for many young quarterbacks, such as C.J. Stroud, Caleb Williams, Jared Goff, and Josh Allen. Besides that, Keenum is always around Houston supporting the university and athletic programs in various capacities.
It will be interesting to see if Keenum ultimately does get into the Hall of Fame at some point.
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Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.