Late Leach on college football HOF ballot after eligibility tweak - ESPN

Mike Leach is on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot for the first time, following an adjustment to eligibility criteria for coaches.

Leach, whose use of the Air Raid offense, widespread coaching tree and distinct personality left a significant impression on the sport, had been kept off of previous ballots because his career winning percentage at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State — .596 (158-107) — fell below the previous threshold of .600. In 2025, the National Football Foundation, which oversees the Hall of Fame, announced that the winning percentage required for coaching eligibility would be adjusted to .595.

Leach died in December 2022 at 61 from complications related to a heart condition, while still coaching at Mississippi State. He won division titles at both Texas Tech and Washington State, where his 2018 team finished No. 10 nationally, and guided teams to bowl appearances in all but two seasons at his three head coaching stops. He coached or hired many notable coaches, including USC's Lincoln Riley, TCU's Sonny Dykes, Oklahoma State's Eric Morris, Baylor's Dave Aranda and Tennessee's Josh Heupel.

Leach's previous ineligibility for the Hall of Fame led to extensive criticism of the process from coaches, media members and others. The other requirements for coaches to be eligible for selection, including 10 or more years as a head coach and at least 100 games coached, have not changed.

«This adjustment reflects thoughtful dialogue with leaders across the sport and allows us to better recognize coaches whose contributions to the game extend beyond a narrow statistical threshold,» NFF president and CEO Steve Hatchell said in May 2025.

Jackie Sherrill, who had a career winning percentage of .592