The 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class has been officially announced, with 22 inductees securing their place in the sport’s history. Among them is former Mark Ingram II, one of the most accomplished wide receivers to ever play for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Despite earning the honor, Ingram expressed dissatisfaction on The Triple Option podcast with the circumstances of his induction, which involved Nick Saban and Urban Meyer.

“I was very kind of hurt that I wasn’t going in with Coach Meyer and Coach Saban. Obviously, Coach Saban was my coach who recruited me, and obviously, Coach Meyer, someone with whom I’ve gotten extremely close, is my family.” Mark Ingram said on the January 21 episode.  “His family is my family. And then now, so I was wondering why I didn’t go first ballot. So, I don’t know what it takes to be a first-ballot college football Hall of Famer, being the first Heisman in Alabama history, nearly 2,000 scrimmage yards, undefeated, 20 touchdowns, and a national championship.”

Missing out on first-ballot induction into the College Football Hall of Fame was understandably disappointing for Mark Ingram II, especially given that his accomplishments speak for themselves. Ingram was the first Heisman Trophy winner in Alabama history and played a major role in helping Nick Saban lead the program to its first national championship in 17 years in the 2009 season. That year also included an SEC Championship for the Crimson Tide, adding another achievement to Ingram’s collection.

Over his collegiate career, Ingram totaled 3,261 rushing yards and 42 rushing touchdowns across 39 games in three seasons. He then turned to the professional level after he was selected as the 28th overall pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2011 NFL Draft, spending 12 years there. Although Ingram did not receive first-ballot induction last year, the 2026 honor still meant a great deal to him. He shared how he learned about his induction after returning home from a workout session.

“I never open packages, but my wife must’ve gotten home before me, and there was an overnight package delivered to the door,” Ingram recalled. “She gets it and is like, ‘This must be important,’ so she opens my package and sees what’s in it and is like, ‘Oh, oh, oh!’ And she’s taping it (back) up, and when I get home [after] finishing my workout, she gives me a plate of food or whatever, and then is like, ‘Yo, open this.’ I’m like, ‘What is this?’ and she was like, ‘I don’t know, something overnighted.’

“So I get it and open it, and I just see the commemorative football, and then I see the letter, and I’m like, ‘Hey, Chelsea, come look at this,’ and she’s over there recording me. I said, ‘You knew about this?’”

Mark Ingram now joins a very special list of players like former Penn State RB Ki-Jana Carter, former Pitt defensive lineman Aaron Donald, former Syracuse receiver Marvin Harrison, former Georgia running back Garrison Hearst, former Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis, and former Nebraska defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, among others.

While Mark Ingram II was pleased with his own Hall of Fame induction, he also addressed what he viewed as an obvious name from the 2026 class: legendary Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

Mark Ingram II reacts to Cam Newton’s 2026 HOF snub

Ingram made it clear that Newton’s absence from the list simply did not make sense to him, as Cam Newton had nearly 3,000 passing yards, almost 1,500 rushing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, and 20 rushing touchdowns.

“That’s 50 total touchdowns,” he said. Newton also had a perfect 14-0 season as a BCS national champion, and after his snub, Ingram was “kind of appalled. I was appalled by myself, humbly, for not being there before. But definitely Cam Newton not being first ballot just doesn’t make sense.”

Ranking second all-time in quarterback rushing touchdowns and third in quarterback rushing yards, it was shocking to many that Newton was not added to the 2026 class when he clearly was a 2025 class caliber individual. However, both Ingram and Rob Stone agreed during the discussion that Newton’s absence is likely temporary and that he will be back and inducted next year for sure.

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