BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Former Bowling Green State University All-American wide receiver Freddie Barnes and All-American defensive lineman Andre Young appear on the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced on Monday (June 2). 

Barnes is one of 79 players from the FBS and Young is one of 100 players from the divisional ranks on the ballot. Former BGSU head coach Gregg Brandon was also named to the ballot and is one of 35 former divisional coaches up for induction. Brandon is on the divisional ballot after a very successful stint at the Colorado School of Mines. It is the third year for Young on the ballot, the first for both Barnes and Brandon. 
NFF membership voting runs through July 1 and results will be submitted to the NFF's Honors Court, which will deliberate and select the 2025 Class.

Barnes is one of the most prolific wide receivers in Bowling Green football history, leaving a lasting legacy with a record-shattering senior season in 2009. A 2009 first-team All-American and finalist for the prestigious Biletnikoff Award, Barnes led the nation with an astounding 155 receptions and 19 receiving touchdowns that year—both among the best single-season marks in NCAA history. A two-time All-MAC selection, he holds four of the conference's top 20 single-game reception totals and remains the standard-bearer in BGSU's record books with a program-best 297 career receptions. Barnes' combination of elite hands, route running, and consistency made him a nightmare for opposing defenses and a cornerstone of one of the most dynamic offenses in Falcon history.

Young was a four-year letterwinner (1979-82) for the Falcons, earning Kodak Division I-AA All-America honors in 1982 after notching 78 tackles, 26 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. His first-team All-MAC season led BGSU to a 1982 MAC Championship and an appearance in the 1982 California Bowl. Young was inducted into the BGSU Hall of Fame in 2004. After leaving BGSU, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1983 NFL Draft. He also played with the Green Bay Packers, in the CFL (Calgary) and in the USFL (Denver). Young currently lives in Lawrenceville, Ga., and is the owner of a home improvement company.

Due to an obscure rule in 1982, multiple schools in the MAC, including Bowling Green, were classified as I-AA programs (a precursor to FCS) for one year due to stadium size and home attendance, and thus Young was deemed an I-AA All-American. This is why Young finds himself on the divisional ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame. The MAC considered itself an I-A (a precursor to FBS) league and did not send anyone to the I-AA playoffs. BGSU represented the league in the California Bowl as the MAC champion. By 1983, all MAC schools were reclassified back to I-A.

Gregg Brandon made a significant impact on the Bowling Green football program, first arriving as an assistant under Urban Meyer before taking over as head coach in 2003. Building on the foundation laid during Meyer's tenure, Brandon brought his own dynamic offensive approach to the Falcons, leading the team to three bowl games and at least a share of three MAC division titles during his six-year stint at the helm. After his time at BGSU, Brandon went on to achieve remarkable success at the Colorado School of Mines, becoming the first coach in program history to lead the Orediggers to the NCAA Division II Semifinals. He compiled a 12-2 record in 2021 and a No. 3 national ranking, while capturing four RMAC championships, four playoff appearances, four top-20 final national rankings, and an impressive 80 percent winning percentage. 

"For more than 65 years, the NFF College Football Hall of Fame has stood as the sport's ultimate archive, honoring those whose impact on the game still echoes today," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "This year's ballot carries forward that responsibility, spotlighting individuals who not only excelled on the field but also helped define what college football means to so many."

Former BGSU head coaches Doyt Perry, Don Nehlen and Urban Meyer (to be inducted in December) are the only Falcons in the College Football Hall of Fame. The announcement of the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2026, with specific details to be announced in the future.

The 2026 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 8, 2026, at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, and permanently immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. They will also be honored at their respective schools with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the 2025 season.