Is This the Year WVU's Aaron Beasley, Jim Carlen Get Into the Hall of Fame?

Former West Virginia superstar running back Steve Slaton will be enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame later this year in December as a first-ballot selection as part of the 2025 class. Two Mountaineers who were on the ballot with him last year and have been for a handful of years now, coach Jim Carlen and defensive back Aaron Beasley, are hoping to join him in 2026.

The National Football Foundation recently released the ballot for the next class, and Carlen and Beasley remain as options.

Jim Carlen

The Cookeville, Tennessee native led the West Virginia football program from 1966-69. In his final season strolling the sidelines in Morgantown, he guided the Mountaineers to their first-ever 10-win season, ending with a 14-3 victory over South Carolina in the Peach Bowl. In his four years on the job, he compiled a record of 25-13-3 and had WVU ranked as high as 16th in the AP Top 25 poll. He then went on to spend five years as the head coach at Texas Tech and then seven seasons at South Carolina.

Aaron Beasley

Beasley donned the Old Gold and Blue from 1992-95, leaving the program as one of the best defensive backs in school history. In 1994, he led the entire country with ten interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. He hauled in five picks the following year and was named an All-American. Over 43 games, he registered 143 tackles and 19 interceptions, which resulted in him being selected in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jim Carlen

Aaron Beasley

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI