WVU Icon Tavon Austin Named on 2027 College Football HOF Ballot

The iconic Tavon Austin highlight tape to the song “Only One” will live in the minds of college football fans forever. Austin was not only the most electric West Virginia Mountaineer football player ever, but one of the most electrifying to ever play college football.

On Monday, the National Football Foundation revealed its 2027 Hall of Fame Ballot, and Austin is one of the names that have a chance to be inducted this year.

It is the first time that Austin has appeared on the ballot. The receiver is West Virginia's all-time leader in all-purpose yards as he tallied 7,286 yards during his time with the Mountaineers. Austin’s decorated collegiate career led him to be selected 8th overall by the then St. Louis Rams in the 2013 NFL Draft. The NFL was a much different story for Austin, who was never really given an opportunity to showcase his electrifying speed and skills in the open field at the NFL level.

Austin most recently spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021 after stops with the Rams, Packers, and Bills throughout his career. Austin’s NFL career can best be described as someone who played in the wrong era of professional football.

The wideout only amassed more than 500 receiving yards once, scoring 26 scrimmage touchdowns during his nine-year stint in the National Football League. However, his collegiate career in Morgantown will live on in infamy forever in the hearts of fans, and perhaps soon in the Hall of Fame.

WVU Could Have Multiple Representatives In The NFF HOF Class on 2027

Austin is not the only Mountaineer great to be listed on the ballot, as former WVU head coach Jim Carlen is also up to join the NFF HOF Class of 2027. Carlen spent four crucial seasons with the Mountaineers, ending his final season with the team with a victory in the 1969 Peach Bowl.

Carlen joined the Mountaineers during a transitional time in program history and led the team to three winning seasons during his stint with the program. Carlen went on to coach for Texas Tech and South Carolina. He earned National Coach of the Year honors in 1973. The former Mountaineer head coach passed away in 2012.

Two Mountaineers on this year's @NFFNetwork College Football Hall of Fame Ballot 🗳️

🔹 WR Tavon Austin
🔹 Coach Jim Carlen

🔗 https://t.co/FfV7HEF6kM pic.twitter.com/mHIIGD6FJO
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) June 1, 2026

This year's inductees will be officially announced in early 2027. According to the National Football Foundation website, you can buy a membership and vote for Austin and Carlen to be inducted into the NFF Hall of Fame Class of 2027.

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