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.
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