MINNEAPOLIS — One of the best players to ever wear the Maroon and Gold is on a very prestigious list of former college football players.
The National Football Foundation (NFF) announced Monday that former Minnesota Gophers center Greg Eslinger has been named to the College Hall of Fame ballot.
Eslinger is one of 78 former players on the ballot for the 2024 class.
The Bismarck, North Dakota native is one of the most decorated offensive linemen in the history of the Big Ten, according to a news release from Paul Rovnak, Director of Communications for Gopher Athletics.
In 2005, he won the Outland Trophy (nation's best interior lineman), the Rimington Trophy (nation's best center) and the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year (the only Gopher ever to win the award.)
He was the first U of M football player in school history to be named first-team all-conference by the media and coaches for all three of his consecutive seasons.
Some of the several other achievements Eslinger earned were the Sporting News Freshman All-American in 2002, a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award (nation's best lineman) in 2004 and he shared Team MVP honors in 2005 with running back Laurence Maroney.
Eslinger also hit the books during college being named an Academic All-American in 2004 and 2005. He was one of the best student-athletes in the nation, getting on an elite list of candidates for the Draddy Trophy, now known as the William V. Campbell Trophy (awarded to the nation's best scholar-athlete).
In the NFL, Eslinger was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round in 2006. He played for the Broncos, Browns and Texans from 2006-08.
Since 1869, only 1,074 players have been named to the College Football Hall of Fame, or less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%).
The NFF said the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class announcement will be made in early 2024, "with specific details to be announced in the future," according to a news release.
The class will be inducted during the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner in Las Vegas on Dec. 10, 2024, and the players will be "permanently immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta."
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