Former Texas Longhorns DT Makes College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

AUSTIN -- A former Texas Longhorns defensive tackle could soon have his name enshrined forever in the College Football Hall of Fame.

The National Football Foundation released its 2026 CFB Hall of Fame ballot Monday and former Texas defensive lineman Casey Hampton was among the 79 players and nine coaches from the FBS level included on the list.

The final Hall of Fame class will be announced in early 2026, according to the NFF's website.

Hampton, 47, is a Galveston, TX native that starred at Ball High School before arriving to Texas in 1996. He played four years with the Longhorns, becoming one of the best defenders in program history in the process.

“Casey Hampton was a great player, a pleasure to coach and an even better person,” said former Texas head coach Mack Brown, per the team. “He was a guy that always set the pace and brought his best, whether it was in offseason workouts, practice or games. He was just a relentless competitor who was unbelievably productive and led some of the best defenses in Texas history."

"Casey was so strong and physical and really unblockable," Brown continued. "He drew double and even triple teams every snap, yet still led our team in tackles from an interior line position and anchored our defense for four seasons. What he did in the NFL, playing 12 seasons as a key cog on great Steelers defenses is truly incredible, as well. He is an all-time great as a college and pro player and so deserving of consideration for the College Football Hall of Fame.”

Hampton won the 2000 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Award and was a two-time first-team All-American. College Football Hall of Fame inductee rules state that a player must have been named a First-Team All-American by a recognized outlet at some point during their collegiate career.

He also became the first defensive lineman in Texas program history to lead the Longhorns in tackles in back-to-back seasons in 1999 and 2000.

Hampton would go on to become the No. 19 overall selection in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the rest is history. Hampton played all 12 of his NFL seasons with the Steelers, winning two Super Bowls and making it to five Pro Bowls during that span.

With Pittsburgh, Hampton started 164 of 173 regular-season games while posting 398 total tackles (231 solo), nine sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four pass breakups. He also started 15 of 16 career playoff games, which included appearances in three Super Bowls in a five-year span.

Hampton is a member of both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Texas Longhorns Hall of Honor. He was inducted into the Texas Hall of Honor in 2014.