Former Maryland TE Vernon Davis, head coach Ralph Friedgen on the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot

1 day ago
2 min read

For the fourth consecutive year, former Maryland football head coach Ralph Friedgen is among FBS coaching candidates on the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot.

Friedgen is one of nine coaches on this year’s ballot and joins Jim Carlen (WVU, Texas Tech, South Carolina), Pete Cawthon Sr. (Austin College, Texas Tech), Larry Coker (Miami (FL), UTSA), Dennis Franchione (Alabama, Texas A&M, Texas St, etc), Gary Patterson (TCU), Chip Petersen (Boise St, Washington), Darryl Rogers (Cal St, Fresno St, San Jose St, Michigan St, Arizona St) and Tommy Tuberville (Auburn, Texas Tech).

Friedgen ranks third all-time in program history with 75 wins, including the historic 2001 season that ended with an ACC title and berth in the Orange Bowl as the former hea coach was named the consensus national coach of the year. Friedgen also became the first coach in ACC history to win the championship in his first year as head coach before leading the program to seven bowl appearances and five postseason wins while splitting a pair of New Year’s Day appearances in the early 2000s. Friedgen, who hired current head coach Mike Locksley to serve as the program’s running backs coach, previously coached as an assistant under Bobby Ross in the early 1980s.

Maryland also produced 80 all-conference selections, 37 All-Americans and seven conference players of the year along with 27 NFL draft picks including EJ Henderson, Shawne Merriman, Vernon Davis, Nick Novak, Torrey Smith and Josh Wilson among others.

“One thing that stood out to me when that coaching search took place, for a guy that I call a great mentor, coach Friedgen,” Mike Locksley previously said of Friedgen. “One of the first things he said, and it’s kind of become a mantra of mine, that coach Friedgen said to the team was, ‘I’m not going to teach you how to win, I’m going to teach you how not to lose — how not to beat yourself.’”

Friedgen isn’t the only Terp on the ballot with former Maryland TE Vernon Davis among the players nominated in 2026.

Davis was named both a first team All-ACC and All-American selection in 2005, along with the team’s MVP, after leading Maryland in both catches and receiving yards in consecutive seasons. His 871 receiving yards during the 2005 season marks the eighth-most in program history, 20 yards less than Maryland Athletics GM Geroy Simon, and just ahead of Stefon Diggs’ 848-yard season in 2012. Davis also ranks top-ten all time in all-purpose yards per play in his career (16.62) while he tied several Terps including Tai Felton for the second-most receiving TDs in a game after recording three vs. Duke in 2003.

Davis, who was inducted in Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022, then went on to become a first-round selection after being selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the sixth overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft before playing 14 seasons.

His son, Jianni Davis, will officially visit Maryland next weekend, June 5.

Related Links