Each of the two most recent classes for the College Football Hall of Fame included an SEC player whose enshrinement was a testament to the perseverance of his supporters and the strength of his career.

Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch entered the College Football Hall of Fame with the Class of 2024. Couch had been on the ballot for 11 years in a row before breaking through for enshrinement.

Auburn linebacker Gregg Carr is a member of the Class of 2025 announced on Wednesday afternoon. Although Carr played his final game for the Tigers in 1984 and had been eligible for induction for 30 years, as recently as 2022, he was not on the ballot after appearing the previous two years.

Now he’s the ninth former Auburn player to earn enshrinement and the first since Ed Dyas went in with the Class of 2009. Couch was Kentucky’s sixth player enshrined and the first since Art Still in 2015.

Carr, Tennessee defensive tackle John Henderson and Ole Miss offensive tackle Terrence Metcalf represented the SEC among the 18 players in the Class of 2025, with LSU and Alabama coach Nick Saban and Florida coach Urban Meyer also part of the class.

But the ballot for the Class of 2025 included 15 players and three coaches from the SEC. That left 12 players and one coach from the conference who, with their supporters, must persevere for at least another year before joining the 107 players and 31 coaches from the SEC in the College Football Hall of Fame’s lineup.

The candidates on the Class of 2025 ballot who will have to wait till next year include:

Alex Brown, Florida, defensive lineman, 1998-2001: Brown had been a first-team All-American selection by the Walter Camp Football Foundation in 1999, then helped Florida win the SEC championship in 2000 and gained consensus All-American recognition as a defensive end in 2001. The three-time All-SEC selection set Florida’s single-season sack record with 13 in 1999 and holds the school career record with 33.

Brad Culpepper, Florida, defensive tackle, 1988-91: A consensus All-American in 1991, Culpepper was a team captain for Florida’s SEC championship squad that season. In addition to his playing honors, Culpepper also received the Campbell Trophy as college football’s top scholar-athlete. His 47.5 tackles for loss are still a career record for Florida defensive linemen.

Alan Faneca, LSU, guard, 1995-97: Faneca already is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a 13-season NFL career that included six selections as a first-team All-Pro. At LSU, Faneca earned consensus All-American recognition in 1997, when he won the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy and earned all-conference selection for the second straight season.

Willie Gault, Tennessee, wide receiver, 1979-82: Gault’s receiving totals won’t get him into the Hall of Fame. He caught 89 passes for 1,482 yards and 10 touchdowns at Tennessee, with 50 of the receptions coming in his senior season. But Gault made a record-setting mark as a kickoff and punt returner, breaking six SEC records in those categories while with the Volunteers. In 1980, he tied the NCAA record for most touchdowns by kickoff return in a single season with three.

Garrison Hearst, Georgia, running back, 1990-92: Hearst won the SEC Player of the Year Award and the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back in 1992, when he ran for 1,547 yards and 19 touchdowns and finished third in the voting for the Heisman Trophy. His 126 points led the nation that season, and he earned unanimous All-American recognition.

Mark Ingram, Alabama, running back, 2008-10: Ingram ran for 1,658 yards and scored 20 touchdowns in 2009, when Alabama won the BCS national championship and he became the first Crimson Tide player to receive the Heisman Trophy. Ingram also earned unanimous All-American recognition in 2009. Ingram went on to become a three-time 1,000-yard rusher in the NFL.

Ed King, Auburn, guard, 1988-90: A first-team All-American selection by the Walter Camp Football Foundation in 1989, King earned unanimous All-American recognition in 1990. In 1988 and 1989, King helped Auburn post the first back-to-back 10-win seasons in school history as the Tigers tied for the best record in the SEC in both years.

Michael Oher, Ole Miss, offensive tackle, 2005-08: Oher started 47 consecutive games during his career with the Rebels. In 2008, he received the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy and earned unanimous All-American recognition, the third Ole Miss player to reach that status.

Chris Samuels, Alabama, offensive tackle, 1996-99: A prep standout at Shaw High School in Mobile, Samuels won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s best interior lineman and the Jacobs Trophy as the SEC’s best blocker in 1999, when he was a unanimous All-American for the Crimson Tide’s SEC championship team. The third player picked in the 2000 NFL Draft, Samuels started all 141 games of his career and was a six-time Pro Bowler with the Washington Redskins before spinal stenosis led to his abrupt retirement.

Larry Seivers, Tennessee, wide receiver, 1974-76: Seivers is one of the 29 SEC players who has been a consensus All-American more than once. Seivers led the SEC in receiving in 1975 and 1976, catching 41 passes for a league-leading 840 yards in 1975 and making 51 catches for 737 yards in 1976. When he left Tennessee, he was the Volunteers’ all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards.

Richard Seymour, Georgia, defensive tackle, 1997-2000: After becoming one of the two defensive linemen to lead a Georgia team in tackles for a season and earning All-SEC recognition in 1999, Seymour repeated as an all-conference pick and earned first-team All-American recognition from the American Football Coaches Association and the Walter Camp Football Foundation in 2000. Seymour played on four bowl-winning teams with the Bulldogs.

Takeo Spikes, Auburn, linebacker, 1995-97: A two-time member of The Associated Press’ All-American second team, Spikes was a first-team All-American for The Sporting News in 1997. Auburn played in the SEC Championship Game for the first time that season, and Spikes capped his career as the MVP of the Tigers’ 21-17 victory over Clemson in the Peach Bowl. Spikes made 331 tackles at Auburn, then recorded 1,431 in a 15-year NFL career.

Tommy Tuberville, Ole Miss and Auburn, coach, 1995-2009:

Tuberville compiled a 159-99 record in 21 seasons as a head coach, including 14 in the SEC. At his first stop as a head coach, Tuberville went 25-20 at Ole Miss from 1995 through 1998. He moved to Auburn in 1999 and guided the Tigers to an 85-40 record over the next 10 seasons. Auburn went 13-0 under Tuberville in 2004, including a 38-28 victory over Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game. Tuberville finished his coaching career with three seasons at Texas Tech and four at Cincinnati and had a career record of 159-99.

The most recent player chosen for the College Football Hall of Fame from each current SEC member is:

Alabama: Cornerback Antonio Langham, Class of 2024

Arkansas: Defensive tackle Dan Hampton, Class of 2024

Auburn: Linebacker Gregg Carr, Class of 2025

Florida: Quarterback Tim Tebow, Class of 2023

Georgia: Cornerback Champ Bailey, Class of 2022

Kentucky: Quarterback Tim Couch, Class of 2024

LSU: Running back Kevin Faulk, Class of 2022

Mississippi State: Linebacker D.D. Lewis, Class of 2001

Missouri: Cornerback Roger Wehrli, Class of 2003

Oklahoma: Defensive lineman Dewey Selmon, Class of 2024

Ole Miss: Offensive tackle Terrence Metcalf, Class of 2025

South Carolina: Wide receiver Sterling Sharpe, Class of 2014

Tennessee: Defensive tackle John Henderson, Class of 2025

Texas: Defensive back Michael Huff, Class of 2025

Texas A&M: Cornerback Kevin Smith, Class of 2024

Vanderbilt: Tackle Josh Cody and halfback John Tigert, Class of 1970

To be considered for the College Football Hall of Fame today, a player must have been a first-team All-American selection by one of the organizations that the NCAA uses to compile its annual consensus All-American team.

Players aren’t considered for the College Football Hall of Fame until 10 years after their final season. They also aren’t considered while they are active NFL players.

Players whose college careers ended more than 50 years ago do not appear on the ballot. Their qualifications are examined by the Football Bowl Subdivision Honors Review Committee.

Players on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot are nominated by athletic directors, head coaches and sports-information directors at National Football Foundation-member schools.

The FBS nominees are sorted geographically for eight District Screening Committees. The committee members vote on which players will represent their region on the ballot. Players who received significant support in the final voting in the previous year but did not make the College Football Hall of Fame also are held over on the ballot automatically.

Head coaches must have at least 10 seasons and 100 games of experience and a winning percentage of at least .600 to be considered.

More than 12,000 National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame voters receive the ballot. The result of their votes is considered by the NFF’s Honors Court, which selects the class to be enshrined.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.