Tennessee State head coach Eddie George alongside Alcorn State legends Steve “Air” McNair and Donald Driver, Alabama A&M defensive stallworth Robert Mathis, and Livingstone College star Ben Coates are five of the 173 Modern Era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, per a release published on NFL.com. All five college football standouts have been featured as potential 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame nominees in past years.

Nineteen finalists will be presented for consideration in the selection process to determine the Class of 2024 for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This esteemed group will consist of 15 Modern-Era Players Finalists, along with the recently named Seniors Finalists Randy Gradishar, Steve McMichael, and Art Powell, and Coach/Contributor Finalist Buddy Parker. The final decision will be made by the 50-member Selection Committee during its annual meeting, which will take place prior to Super Bowl LVIII.

While there is no predetermined number of enshrinees for this class, the selection process allows for the selection of between four and nine new members. The Seniors Finalists and the Coach/Contributor Finalist will be subject to a “yes” or “no” vote at the annual selection meeting, requiring at least 80% support from the Committee in order to join the Class of 2024.

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Modern-Era Finalists will be narrowed down from 15 to 10 during the meeting, and then further reduced to five. The remaining five Finalists will be individually voted on, with a “yes” or “no” decision, and must also receive the same 80% positive vote as the Seniors and Coach/Contributor Finalists in order to secure their induction into the prestigious Pro Football Hall of Fame. Once selected, the five modern-day finalists will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in early August 2024.

Florida A&M alumnus and Bengals Star Ken Riely was the most recent HBCU football star enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this season.