Yet another player proved that the Georgia Bulldogs are a Running Back University. With Kirby Smart and his program busy with the transfer portal, former Georgia running back Garrison Hearst came up with some positive news. The Bulldogs legend earned his spot among the 18 inductees in the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame Class.

“Love and Respect to the UGA family! Go Dawgs! I see you BOH!” wrote Hearst, resharing Georgia Football’s post where they congratulated the legend. 

Hearst bulldozed through Georgia from 1990 to 1992, racking up 1,547 rushing yards and a school-record 19 rushing touchdowns as a junior in 1992. He ranked fourth on the Bulldogs’ single-season rushing list, with the top three spots still owned by Heisman legend Herschel Walker.

Hearst left an indelible mark on the Georgia record books, finishing his career with 3,232 rushing yards and 3,834 all-purpose yards, placing him fifth and sixth in school history, respectively. His 16 career 100-yard games are a testament to his consistent dominance.

His consensus All-American honors place him in the same elite company as fellow Bulldog legends like Herschel Walker, Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, and Todd Gurley.

While Hearst’s own talent helped him rise to the top, Georgia’s rich history of running backs, something ingrained deep in the program, pushed him even further. 

“Georgia, in a lot of areas, is considered Running Back U,” Hearst told the Athens Banner-Herald in 2014. “When I came here a lot of great backs had been here. You had Herschel, you had Tim Worley, Lars Tate, Rodney Hampton. A lot of times in your mind you have to do your thing to get out there because you have to represent.”

Hearst’s standout 1992 year included a third-place Heisman finish and the Doak Walker Award. His standout 1992 season culminated in a 10-2 season for Georgia, which closed with a victory over Ohio State in the Citrus Bowl.

In the same year, ESPN crowned him the first-ever ESPY winner as the nation’s most outstanding player. He also earned SEC Player of the Week four times.

Hearst’s finale featured 163 yards and two touchdowns against Ohio State in the Florida Citrus Bowl, securing MVP honors. Just two weeks later, the State of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame named him College Player of the Year across all sports.

Hailing from Lincolnton, Hearst went No. 3 overall in the 1993 NFL Draft to the Arizona Cardinals. He spent 10 seasons in the league, including five with the San Francisco 49ers, earning two Pro Bowl nods along the way.

However, his NFL career was plagued by injuries.

Garrison Hearst’s tumultuous NFL chapter

In February 1993, as he was preparing for the NFL Draft, Hearst tore his left ACL. ESPN reported that the injury was discovered during a routine physical at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, where he wasn’t even participating in workouts.

Fast forward to the 1998 NFL Playoffs, and Hearst was carving up defenses in San Francisco, ranking as the NFC’s second-leading rusher. The former running back had racked up 1,570 yards, just behind Atlanta Falcons’ Jamal Anderson. 

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But disaster struck when he tried to spin away from a Falcons tackle by Chuck Smith at the Georgia Dome. Hearst awkwardly ended up twisting his leg and breaking his left fibula.

Hearst’s two-year battle with post-surgery complications ended in 2001 with a triumphant return.

The National Football Foundation announced the 2026 Hall of Fame nominees last June. It listed Garrison Hearst alongside defensive standout Richard Seymour. He finally fought to secure his place among 79 players on the ballot.