The College Football Hall of Fame ballot for its Class of 2024 includes three former Auburn stars among the 78 players on the NCAA FBS portion.

With guard Ed King and linebacker Takeo Spikes reaching this stage of the selection process for the first time to join linebacker Gregg Carr, the Tigers are among the seven programs that have three candidates on the player ballot, joining California, Colorado, Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma, Penn State and Pittsburgh.

The College Football Hall of Fame has enshrined eight players from Auburn. But the Tigers haven’t added to their Hall of Fame roster since fullback Ed Dyas was part of the Class of 2009.

The three nominees came from a list of 25 former Auburn players who were eligible for the Class of 2024 ballot. That doesn’t include 21 Auburn alumni who meet the first standard for consideration for the College Football Hall of Fame but aren’t in the current eligibility window.

That’s 46 players from Auburn with the possibility of becoming Hall of Famers.

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. Currently, those organizations are the American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press, Football Writers Association of American, Sporting News and Walter Camp Football Foundation. But the selectors used by the NCAA have varied over the years, ranging from a low of two to a high of 10.

Players aren’t considered for the College Football Hall of Fame until 10 full seasons after their final college campaign. They also aren’t considered while they are active NFL players. Auburn has eight players who meet the All-American standard but aren’t eligible yet because their final season with the Tigers came in 2013 or later and/or they’re still playing in the NFL.

Players also aren’t considered if their college careers ended more than 50 years ago, so any player who completed his time with Auburn before 1974 isn’t eligible for the 2024 ballot. The Tigers have 13 players who meet the All-American standard but are outside the 50-year window.

Those players still can be considered for the College Football Hall of Fame, but their qualifications are examined by the Football Bowl Subdivision Honors Review Committee, bypassing the ballot.

King qualified for the ballot as a unanimous All-American, Carr as a consensus All-American and Spikes as a non-consensus All-American.

A unanimous All-American is a player who was a first-team selection for all the organizations used by the NCAA to compile the consensus All-American team for that season.

A consensus All-American usually is a player who was a first-team selection for at least half of the organizations used by the NCAA to compile the consensus All-American team. It’s possible to become a consensus All-American without reaching the halfway mark, and it’s also possible, though rare, not to be a consensus All-American even while making at least half of the first teams.

For consideration for the College Football Hall of Fame, players don’t have to be consensus All-Americans – just first-teamers for the right selector.

Former Auburn players eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame whose careers ended more than 50 years ago include (presented alphabetically with their All-American qualifying standards):

Center Jackie Burkett: Non-consensus in 1958

Defensive tackle David Campbell: Non-consensus in 1968

Fullback Joe Childress: Non-consensus in 1955

Tackle Frank D’Agostino: Non-consensus in 1955

Halfback Monk Gafford: Non-consensus in 1942

Defensive back Buddy McClinton: Consensus in 1969

End Jim “Red” Phillips: Unanimous in 1957

Tackle Ken Rice: Non-consensus in 1959 and consensus in 1960

Back Jimmy Sidle: Non-consensus in 1963

Guard Zeke Smith: Consensus in 1958 and non-consensus in 1959

Defensive tackle Jack Thornton: Non-consensus in 1965

Center Caleb Warrington: Non-consensus in 1944

Defensive back Larry Willingham: Consensus in 1970

Former Auburn players currently eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame ballot include (presented alphabetically with their All-American qualifying standards):

Linebacker Ken Bernich: Consensus in 1974

Linebacker Aundray Bruce: Consensus in 1987

Linebacker Gregg Carr: Consensus in 1984

Punter Lewis Colbert: Non-consensus in 1985

Linebacker Kurt Crain: Non-consensus in 1987

Punter Terry Daniel: Consensus in 1993

Linebacker Karlos Dansby: Consensus in 2003

Kicker Damon Duval: Consensus in 2001

Defensive tackle Nick Fairley: Consensus in 2010

Running back Brent Fullwood: Unanimous in 1986

Offensive tackle Wayne Gandy: Consensus in 1993

Guard Ed King: Non-consensus in 1989 and unanimous in 1990

Offensive tackle Marcus McNeill: Consensus in 2005

Quarterback Cam Newton: Consensus in 2010

Offensive tackle Victor Riley: Non-consensus in 1997

Defensive back Brian Robinson: Consensus in 1994

Defensive tackle David Rocker: Consensus in 1990

Cornerback Carlos Rogers: Consensus in 2004

Wide receiver Frank Sanders: Non-consensus in 1990

Offensive tackle Stacy Searels: Non-consensus in 1987

Defensive back Chris Shelling: Non-consensus in 1994

Linebacker Takeo Spikes: Non-consensus in 1997

Center Ben Tamburello: Unanimous in 1986

Running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams: Non-consensus in 2004

Offensive tackle Lee Ziemba: Consensus in 2010

Former Auburn players who meet the All-American standard for the College Football Hall of Fame but are not yet eligible for consideration include (presented alphabetically with their All-American qualifying standards):

Defensive tackle Derrick Brown: Unanimous in 2019

Kicker Daniel Carlson: Non-consensus in 2017

All-purpose/kick returner Chris Davis: Non-consensus in 2013

Center Reese Dismukes: Consensus in 2014

Defensive end Carl Lawson: Non-consensus in 2016

Running back Tre Mason: Non-consensus in 2013

Cornerback Roger McCreary: Non-consensus in 2021

Guard Braden Smith: Non-consensus in 2017

Auburn has eight players in the College Football Hall of Fame (presented alphabetically with their All-American qualifying standards):

Wide receiver Terry Beasley: Unanimous in 1971

Fullback Ed Dyas: Non-consensus in 1960

Halfback Tucker Frederickson: Consensus in 1964

Halfback Jimmy Hitchcock: Consensus in 1932

Running back Bo Jackson: Consensus in 1983 and unanimous in 1985

Defensive tackle Tracy Rocker: Consensus in 1987 and unanimous in 1988

Quarterback Pat Sullivan: Unanimous in 1971

One of College Football Hall of Fame members from Auburn does not meet the currently used All-American standard – center Walter Gilbert, who played for the Tigers from 1934 through 1936.

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.

The more than 12,000 members of the National Football Foundation then get the annual ballot for their consideration.

After the vote, the NFF Honors Court considers recommendations from the veterans committee, reviews the voting and chooses the members of the Hall of Fame class.

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