Two former Colorado greats are on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame’s 2026 class.

On Monday, the National Football Foundation (NFF) and the College Hall of Fame announced the ballot, which includes 79 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 100 players and 35 coaches from the divisional ranks.

The ballot this year includes CU legends Eric Bieniemy and Chris Hudson.

Bieniemy, a running back for the Buffs from 1987-90, is on the ballot for the 10th time since first appearing in 2010. Hudson, a defensive back with the Buffs from 1991-94, is on the ballot for the fourth time since first appearing in 2021.

CU’s all-time leading rusher with 3,940 yards during his Buffs career, Bieniemy was a unanimous first-team All-American in 1990, when he finished third in Heisman Trophy balloting. That season, he rushed for 1,628 yards and 17 touchdowns in helping CU win its only national title.

Bieniemy earned All-Big Eight honors twice (1988 and 1990) and was Big Eight offensive player of the year as a senior. After CU, he was selected in the second round of the NFL draft in 1991 by the San Diego Chargers. He played nine seasons in the NFL (San Diego, Cincinnati and Philadelphia).

When he was done playing, Bieniemy got into coaching in 2000. He had two stints as an assistant at CU (2001-02 and 2011-12) and spent 10 seasons (2013-22) with the Kansas City Chiefs, including the last five as offensive coordinator. He helped the Chiefs win Super Bowls in 2019 and 2022. Bieniemy is now preparing for his first season as the running backs coach with the Chicago Bears.

A safety and cornerback during his career at CU, Hudson won the Jim Thorpe Award as the country’s top defensive back in 1994. He was also a consensus first-team All-American that year.

One of only six Buffs to earn first-team all-conference honors three times, Hudson had 15 career interceptions and teamed with Hall of Famers Rashaan Salaam and Michael Westbrook to help the Buffs go 11-1 in 1994. He did all of that despite playing the final 10 games with a turf toe injury.

Hudson was elected to the CU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016. Following his CU career, he was a third-round selection in the 1995 NFL Draft (71st overall) by the Jacksonville Jaguars. During his NFL career, Hudson played in 77 games for the Jaguars (1995-98), Chicago Bears (1999) and Atlanta Falcons (2001). He posted 11 career interceptions.

In December, former Buffs cornerback Deon Figures became the latest CU great to be enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. The 1992 Jim Thorpe Award winner was the 10th former CU player in the Hall of Fame, along with former head coach Bill McCartney.

Other Buffs already in the College Football Hall of Fame: Byron White (class of 1952); Joe Romig (1984); Dick Anderson (1993); Bobby Anderson (2006); Alfred Williams (2010); John Wooten (2012); Herb Orvis (2016); Michael Westbrook (2020); and Rashaan Salaam (2022). McCartney was elected in 2013.

A group of more than 12,000 NFF members and current Hall of Famers will vote on the 2026 class. The class will be announced early in 2026 and officially inducted during the NFF annual awards dinner in Las Vegas on Dec. 8, 2026.

The ballot for the class of 2026 also includes, among others: Aaron Donald (Pittsburgh); Alan Faneca (LSU); Robert Griffin III (Baylor); Marcus Harris (Wyoming); Marvin Harrison (Syracuse); Mark Ingram (Alabama); DeSean Jackson (California); Ryan Leaf (Washington State); Marshawn Lynch (California); Cam Newton (Auburn); Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska); Manti Te’o (Notre Dame); and former Denver Broncos great Elvis Dumervil (Louisville).