UNC legends Julius Peppers and Ken Huff were among 177 players and 40 coaches included on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022, which was revealed on Wednesday.

Peppers ranks second in UNC history with 30.5 sacks. He also racked up 167 tackles, 53 tackles for loss, 13 pass deflections, five interceptions, five forced fumbles and three defensive touchdowns during his time in Chapel Hill.

As a junior in 2001, Peppers was a unanimous First Team All-American selection. He decided to declare for the NFL Draft following that year and was then selected No. 2 overall by the Carolina Panthers in 2002.

He would go on to play 17 years in the NFL with the Panthers, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears before retiring after the 2018 season ranked fourth on the league’s all-time list with 159.5 career sacks.

Huff, meanwhile, was a First Team All-American as an offensive guard back in 1974 and the recipient of the Jacob’s Blocking Trophy as the ACC’s best offensive lineman. That same year, he led an offensive line which paved the way for UNC to have two 1,000 yard rushers and set a school record for total offense.

He was selected third overall in the 1975 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts and would go on to play 11 years in the league for the Colts and the Washington Football Team.

Both Peppers and Huff have their numbers honored by UNC and displayed at Kenan Stadium.

The 2022 College Football Hall of Fame ballot was sent to more than 12,000 members of the National Football Foundation and current Hall-of-Famers, who will then vote to select the next class.

Inductees will be revealed early in 2022 and officially inducted during the NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6, 2022.

 

 

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Teases Kenan Stadium Enhancements as Venue Prepares to Celebrate 100 Years
The 2026 UNC football season will be the 100th in which the Tar Heels have called Kenan Stadium home, and the program is prepared to celebrate the historic venue with several upgrades and enhancements this fall. Two new video boards will be installed above each end zone, with both measuring 31.5 feet high by 106.5 […]
Chansky's Notebook: Draft Dodgers?
Bill Belichick and Michael Malone have found themselves in the same undesirable dilemma: neither has any draft picks.
'I Can Do This For a Long Time': Bobby Petrino Excited for New Challenge With UNC Football
Let’s get one thing out of the way first: UNC’s new offensive coordinator is known for more than just being a football coach. Ask Atlanta Falcons fans about Bobby Petrino’s antics. Or the folks in Louisville. Or Arkansas. The paper trail that follows Petrino everywhere he goes is long, and it bends toward absurdity. Egregiously […]
Chansky's Notebook: Dead Man Walking?
With Hubert Davis dismissed, no seat will be hotter in Chapel Hill than UNC head football coach Bill Belichick’s this fall.
Chansky's Notebook: 'We Have Our Team Now'
Bill Belichick spoke to the media at the Kenan Football Center Tuesday as UNC opened its spring practice season.
Chansky's Notebook: Mack is Back (Again)
Mack Brown's midcourt ceremony at the Smith Center Monday night was a satisfying end to what had been an awkward UNC football saga.
Here's a List of Which Transfers Have Committed to UNC Football in 2026
The college football transfer portal opened Friday, Jan. 2 and closed Friday, Jan. 16. Here’s a list of players who have committed to head coach Bill Belichick and UNC out of the portal so far, with their classes for the 2026 season: QB Billy Edwards, Jr. (Most recent school: Wisconsin, redshirt senior) Ranked 3rd in […]
Tributes Pour In After James Spurling, Director of Kenan Stadium, Dies at 68
James Spurling, who served as the Director of Kenan Stadium and the Kenan Football Center in the heart of the UNC campus since 2006 and had been a Chapel Hill staple for many years prior, died Thursday. He was 68 years old. Tributes flooded in from across the Chapel Hill and UNC sports communities following […]
Financial Report Shows UNC Athletics Operated at $15 Million Deficit in 2024-25 Year
The newest financial report from the UNC athletic department to the NCAA shows the department operated at a deficit of more than $15 million during the 2024-25 fiscal year. The department reported revenues of $172,951,034 and reported expenses of $187,967,260. The UNC athletic department had operated at a profit in each of the past three […]
'Hard to Imagine': Newmark, Lombardi, Others Share Disbelief at Bill Belichick Hall of Fame Vote
UNC football general manager Michael Lombardi and athletic-director-in-waiting Steve Newmark were among many sports figures to share their disappointment and surprise at reports that head coach Bill Belichick was not voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot. An ESPN report published Tuesday night indicated Belichick, currently between his first and […]
›