Former University of Georgia and NFL offensive lineman Matt Stinchcomb has been named to the 2018 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

 
The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today the names on the 2018 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, including 75 players and six coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 98 players and 31 coaches from the divisional ranks.
 
 
The ballot was emailed today to the more than 12,000 NFF members and current Hall of Famers whose votes will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF’s Honors Courts, which will deliberate and select the class. The FBS Honors Court, chaired by NFF Board Member and College Football Hall of Famer Archie Griffin from Ohio State, and the Divisional Honors Court, chaired by former Marshall head coach, longtime athletics director and NFF Board Member Jack Lengyel, include an elite and geographically diverse pool of athletic administrators, Hall of Famers and members of the media.
 
 
“It’s an enormous honor to just be on the ballot when you think that more than 5.19 million people have played college football and only 987 players have been inducted,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “The Hall’s requirement of being a First-Team All-American creates a much smaller pool of only 1,500 individuals who are even eligible. So being in today’s elite group means an individual is truly among the greatest to ever have played the game, and we are extremely proud to announce their names. We look forward to revealing the 2018 Class prior to the CFP National Championship in Atlanta, the esteemed home of the College Football Hall of Fame.”
 
 

 
 
Matt Stinchcomb came to the University of Georgia by way of Parkview High School out of Lilburn, GA in the Bulldogs 1995 college football recruiting class. From 1995-1998, Stinchcomb played in 46 games, starting 34, on the offensive line for UGA sporting the number 79. During his freshman season in 1995 played at OG and switched to RT for the 1996 season where he earned his first in the opening game versus Southern Miss. Once he earned a start, Stinchcomb never looked back. Only missing a start or a game due to injury.
 
 
79 was an anchor on the right side for the Bulldogs and over his collegiate career earned numerous accolades and honors including being a Two-Time Fist Team All-America Selection, Two-Time First Team All-SEC Selection, and the 1998 recipient of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy. The talented big man was also named as one of four finalists for the 1998 Rotary Lombardi Award.
 
 
Stinchcomb excelled off the field as well as on the field. He was named to both the 1997 and 1998 AFCA “Good Works Teams” and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll three years in a row from 1997-1998. His excellence in academics in the classroom earned him the 1998 NFF William V. Campbell Trophy and NFF National Scholar-Athlete. The Campbell Trophy is akin to winning the Heisman in regards to academics as a student-athlete.
 
 
After the University of Georgia, Matt Stinchcomb went on to be drafted by the Oakland Raiders 18th overall in the 1999 NFL Draft. He played seven years as a pro; five with the Raiders from 1999-2003 and two with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2004-2005. After suffering a number of injuries during his professional football career and complications from surgery due to a back injury, Stinchcomb made the decision to retire from football. In 2009, he was named to the University of Georgia’s Circle of Honor and to the 2009 class of “SEC Legends.”
 
 

 
 
Matt’s younger brother, Jon Stinchcomb, also played on the offensive line for the Bulldogs from 1998-2002. Matt and Jon along with former Georgia quarterback David Greene operate a children’s charity called “Countdown to Kickoff” that benefits the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and the Georgia Transplant Foundation. This year will be the 12th annual “Dawgs for Kids Night” on Friday, August 4, 2017.
 
 
The 2018 class will officially be inducted during the 61st NFF Annual Awards Dinner Dec. 4, 2018, at the New York Hilton Midtown. The inductees will be permanently enshrined at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta later that December and honored on the field during the 14th Annual National Hall of Fame Salute during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. They will also be honored at their respective schools at an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the 2018 season.
 
 
The criteria for Hall of Fame consideration include:
 
> First and foremost, a player must have received First-Team All-America recognition by a selector organization that is recognized by the NCAA and utilized to comprise their consensus All-America teams.

> A player becomes eligible for consideration by the Foundation’s Honors Courts 10 full seasons after his final year of intercollegiate football played.

> While each nominee’s football achievements in college are of prime consideration, his post-football record as a citizen is also weighed. He must have proven himself worthy as a citizen, carrying the ideals of football forward into his relations with his community and his fellow man, with love of his country. Consideration may also be given for academic honors and whether or not the candidate earned a college degree.

> Players must have played their last year of intercollegiate football within the last 50 years.* For example, to be eligible for the 2018 ballot, the player must have played his last year in 1968 or thereafter. In addition, players who are playing professionally and coaches who are coaching on the professional level are not eligible until after they retire.

> A coach becomes eligible three full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he is at least 70 years of age. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He must have been a head coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.
 
 
The announcement of the 2018 Class will be made Monday, Jan. 8, 2018, in Atlanta. The city is serving as the host for the CFP National Championship, which will be played later that day at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Some of the inductees will be on site during the announcement to represent the class and share their thoughts on being elected. The Jan. 8 announcement will be televised live, and specific viewing information will be available as the date draws near. A few inductees will also participate in the pregame festivities and the coin toss before the championship game.
 
 
For more information and a listing of all 75 players on the 2018 College Football Ballot, CLICK HERE