MORGANTOWN — One of the most-electric players in West Virginia football history is up for enshrinement in the College Football Hall of Fame as former Mountaineer running back Steve Slaton was included on the National Football Foundation’s ballot for 2025.
Slaton, who played in Morgantown from 2005-07, is one of two WVU players on the ballot this year, joined by former defensive back Aaron Beasley (1992-95). Former WVU head coach Jim Carlen (1966-69) is also on the ballot as is West Virginia native Nick Saban, who coached Alabama into a dynasty over the past decade.
Teaming with quarterback Pat White and fullback Owen Schmitt to make one of the deadliest rushing attacks in the country, Slaton’s talent was evident as soon as he got on the field in Morgantown.
After sitting on the bench for the first four games of his freshman season in 2005, Slaton ran for 90 yards against No. 3 Virginia Tech and then exploded for 139 the following week at Rutgers. There was no looking back from there as Slaton finished the season with 1,128 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns, being named a freshman All-American.
His 2006 season was the stuff of WVU legend as he ran for a school-record 1,744 yards with 16 touchdowns. He finished with a single-season record 2,104 yards from scrimmage with 19 total scores and was named a unanimous first-team All-American.
Slaton ended his time at WVU with 1,051 yards and 17 more touchdowns in 2007 before being selected by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
In WVU’s career record books, Slaton ranks first in rushing touchdowns (50) and total touchdowns (55), fourth in points scored (330), fifth in rushing yards (3,923), sixth in rushes (664) and fifth in yards per rush (5.9).
In terms of single-season record, Slaton is first in rushing yards (1,744), third in rushing touchdowns (17, twice), second in total touchdowns (19) and seventh in points scoring (114).
Slaton was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Beasley, a 1995 All-American, ranks second in WVU history with 19 career interceptions. He nabbed a single-season record 10 in 1995. He was taken in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars and his professional career lasted until 2004. He was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.
Carlen coached the Mountaineers for four seasons, going 25-13-3 from 1966-69. In two years in the Southern Conference, the Mountaineers went 6-0-1, finishing first in 1967. Carlen went on to coach at Texas Tech and South Carolina.
Saban retired earlier this year after 17 seasons as Alabama coach. He won six national championships with the Crimson Tide and one with LSU in 2003 for a record seven career titles. In 28 years as a college head coach with Toledo, Michigan State, LSU and Alabama, Saban was 297-71-1.
The ballot for the Hall of Fame class to be announced in January includes 77 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 101 players and 34 coaches from the divisional ranks, which include the Championship Subdivision and Divisions II and III.
Among the players appearing on the ballot for the Atlanta-based hall for the first time is former Pitt defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who retired earlier this year after 10 NFL seasons with the Rams.
Other first-timers on the ballot include 2012 Heisman Trophy runner-up Manti Te’o from Notre Dame; 2009 Heisman winner Mark Ingram from Alabama and former California wide receiver DeSean Jackson.
Also on the ballot for the first time is former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, who won three national titles during his 17-season career as a college head coach, two with Florida and one with Ohio State in 2014. He also had stops at Bowling Green and Utah. He retired from Ohio State after the 2018 season with a record of 187-32.
Among the players who are holdovers on this year’s ballot are former Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick, former Syracuse receiver Marvin Harrison and the late Sean Taylor, who played defensive back for Miami.
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