IRVING, Texas (Oct. 28, 2026) – Penn State University and the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor 2026 NFF College Football Hall of Fame electee Ki-Jana Carter with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments. The Salute will take place on Oct. 31, during the Nittany Lions' home football game against Purdue, which will kick off at 4:15 p.m. ET on BTN.
"Ki-Jana Carter was an incredible talent, and every time he touched the ball, you knew something special could happen," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "He was a huge part of that undefeated 1994 Penn State team, and he gave Nittany Lions fans so many great memories. We're delighted to welcome him into the College Football Hall of Fame and honor him in front of the Penn State faithful at Beaver Stadium."
The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program, which began with the inaugural NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class in 1951, has become a hallowed tradition, and to this day, the singular events remain the first of numerous activities in the NFF Hall of Fame experience.
During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each electee returns to his respective school to accept an NFF Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many NFF Hall of Famers cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them with one more chance to take the field and be recognized in front of their home crowd.
A 1994 Unanimous First Team All-American and Heisman Trophy runner-up, Carter was among the nation's most feared offensive weapons. That season, he ranked second nationally in scoring (138 points), fourth in rushing (1,539 yards) and fifth in total yards (1,662), anchoring Penn State's march to the Big Ten title and a No. 2 final national ranking. Click here for his full NFF Hall of Fame bio.
The Westerville, Ohio, product now becomes the 21st Nittany Lion player inducted into the Hall, joining Pete Mauthe (1909-12), Dexter Very (1909-12), Shorty Miller (1910-13), Glenn Killinger (1918-21), Steve Suhey (1942, 1946-47), Richie Lucas (1957-59), Dave Robinson (1960-62), Glenn Ressler (1962-64), Ted Kwalick (1966-68), Mike Reid (1966, 1968-69), Dennis Onkotz (1967-69), Jack Ham (1968-70), Lydell Mitchell (1969-71), John Cappelletti (1971-73), Keith Dorney (1975-78), Curt Warner (1979-82), Shane Conlan (1983-86), Kerry Collins (1991-94), LaVar Arrington (1997-99) and Paul Posluszny (2003-06). Hall of Fame coaches who headed the Penn State program include Hugo Bezdek, Rip Engle, Dick Harlow, Bob Higgins and Joe Paterno.
Members of the 2026 class include Jerry Azumah (New Hampshire), Ki-Jana Carter (Penn State), Bruce Collie (Texas at Arlington), George Cumby (Oklahoma), Aaron Donald (Pittsburgh), Marvin Harrison (Syracuse), Garrison Hearst (Georgia), Chris Hudson (Colorado), Mark Ingram (Alabama), Olin Kreutz (Washington), James Laurinaitis (Ohio State), Jordan Lynch (Northern Illinois), Herman Moore (Virginia), Terence Newman (Kansas State), Bob Novogratz (Army West Point), Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska), Peter Warrick (Florida State), Eric Weddle (Utah) and coaches Jim Margraff (Johns Hopkins [MD]), Gary Patterson (Texas Christian), Chris Petersen (Boise State, Washington), and Ken Sparks (Carson-Newman [TN]).
The 2026 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will officially be inducted during the 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 8, 2026, at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Please click here to purchase tickets.
Including the 2026 NFF Hall of Fame Class, only 1,129 players have been inducted into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.7 million who have played the game during the past 158 years. From the coaching ranks, 241 individuals have achieved NFF Hall of Fame distinction. In other words, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (0.02%) of the individuals who have played/coached the game have earned this distinction.
Fidelity Investments has served as the national presenting sponsor of the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes since 2010. The salutes are one component of a multi-year initiative between the two organizations to celebrate the scholar-athlete ideal and their joint commitment to higher education. Fidelity is also the presenting sponsor of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, and it helped launch the NFF Faculty Salutes in 2011, which recognize the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives around the country.
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE HALL OF FAME
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik, and journalist Grantland Rice, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) is a nonprofit organization that leverages the power of amateur football to build leaders. With 120 chapters in 47 states, the NFF oversees initiatives such as the NFF College Football Hall of Fame, the William V. Campbell Trophy®, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments, Future For Football, and I Played. Learn more at footballfoundation.org and follow @NFFNetwork on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
