Cal Trio On 2025 College Football HOF National Ballot

Marshawn Lynch returns to the College Football Hall of Fame national ballot for the fourth consecutive year and is joined by DeSean Jackson and Alex Mack in their first years nominated. The former Cal players are part of a group of 77 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) announced Monday by the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame and are looking to join 22 Golden Bears already enshrined in the esteemed Hall with the most recent Steve Bartkowski in the Class of 2012.

The announcement of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2025 with more specific details to be announced in the future.

The 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 9, 2025, at the Bellagio Hotel & Resort, and they will be honored at their respective schools with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the 2025 season.

Below are notes on each member of Cal's trio.
 
DeSean Jackson, WR (Cal, 2005-07)
– A two-time first-team All-American who earned consensus honors as a 2006 sophomore when he was also the Randy Moss Award winner as the nation's top kick/punt returner, as well as a selection from the American Football Coaches Association for his performance as a 2007 junior
– Also earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors in 2006 and was a second-team pick in 2007
– Registered career Cal totals of 162 receptions for 2,423 yards with 22 touchdown catches
– Cal's all-time leader in punt return touchdowns (6) and punt return average (16.7, 38-633) with his six punt returns for scores also the second-most in Pac-12 history, while ranking third at Cal all-time in 100-yard receiving games (9), fifth in yards receiving, and eighth in both touchdown catches and overall receptions
– Helped Cal win bowl games in each of his three campaigns (2005 Las Vegas, 2006 Holiday, 2007 Armed Forces) and post a 25-13 overall record with the 2006 squad tying a single-season school record with 10 wins, becoming Cal's first Pac-10 co-champions since 1975 and ranking No. 14 in the final AP Top 25
– Selected in the second round (No. 49 overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles and played 15 NFL seasons with Philadelphia (2008-13, '19-20), the Washington Redskins (2014-16), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2017-18), Los Angeles Rams (2021), Las Vegas Raiders (2021) and Baltimore Ravens (2022)
– Has an NFL career record 26 touchdowns of 60 or more yards, while his five scores of 80 or more yards are tied for the NFL career mark

Marshawn Lynch, RB (Cal, 2004-06)
– First-team All-American, Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Pac-10 selection in his final collegiate season as a 2006 junior
– Cal's all-time leader with 17 games of 100 or more yards rushing, while his 3,230 career rushing yards rank second in school history, his 29 rushing touchdowns tied for third and his 4,574 all-purpose yards fourth
– The only player in Cal history with two campaigns in the school's top 10 for single-season rushing yards with 1,356 in 2006 (5th) and 1,246 in 2005 (8th)
– Led Cal to a single-season school-record-tying 10 wins during both his 2004 freshman and 2006 junior campaigns with the 2004 team recording Cal's first 10-win season since 1991 and also finishing No. 9 in the final AP Top 25, while the 2006 squad was Cal's first Pac-10 co-champion since 1975 and ranked No. 14 in the final AP Top 25
– Helped Cal to a 28-9 overall record during his three collegiate seasons including an 18-7 mark in Pac-10 games on the Golden Bears' way to bowl games each season including victories in his final two (2005 Las Vegas, 2006 Holiday)
– Set Cal's single-game bowl records with 194 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground when he was named the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl Co-MVP
– Selected in the first round (No. 12 overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills and played 12 NFL seasons with Buffalo (2007-10), the Seattle Seahawks (2010-15, '19) and the Oakland Raiders (2017-18)
– A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2010's NFL All-Decade team who captured Super Bowl XLVIII with Seattle following the 2013 campaign and was a first-team All-Pro selection for the Seahawks in 2012
– A member of the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame's class of 2021
 
Alex Mack, OL (Cal, 2005-08)
– Winner of the National Football Foundation's Draddy Trophy (now known as the William V. Campbell Trophy) and earned Pac-10 Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors as a 2008 senior
– Named first-team All-American in 2007 by Sporting News and 2008 from Rivals
– A two-time winner of the Morris Trophy as the Pac-10's top lineman (2007, '08)
– A three-time first-team All-Pac-12 pick (2006, '07, '08)
– A four-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection, picking up first-team recognition in both 2007 and 2008 after being a second-team pick as a 2006 sophomore and an honorable mention choice during his 2005 freshman campaign
– Helped Cal win four bowl games (2005 Las Vegas Bowl, 2006 Holiday Bowl, 2007 Armed Forces Bowl, 2008 Emerald Bowl) and post a 34-17 overall record during his collegiate career with the Bears ranked in the top 10 nationally at one point during each of his four campaigns
– Helped  the 2006 squad tie a single-season school record with 10 wins, becoming Cal's first Pac-10 co-champions since 1975 and ranking No. 14 in the final AP Top 25
– A team captain in 2008
– Selected in the first round (No. 21 overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns and played 13 NFL seasons with Cleveland (2009-15), the Atlanta Falcons (2016-20) and the San Francisco 49ers (2021)
– A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2010's NFL All-Decade Team, a seven-time Pro Bowler, a three-time second-team All-Pro and selected to the 2009 Pro Football Writers Association's All-Rookie team