Jahri Evans among New Orleans Saints legends nominated for College Football Hall of Fame class of 2024

The College Football Hall of Fame announced Monday that former New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Jahri Evans, running back Craig Heyward, and defensive back Ashley Ambrose are nominees for the College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.

Evans was a 2005 First Team All-American who also earned Second Team All-America honors as a junior at Bloomsburg (PA). He was a two-time Division II Player of the Year finalist and three-time First Team All-PSAC East selection During his college career, he helped the Huskies to the 2005 PSAC East title and an NCAA playoff berth. With the Saints, he was a Super Bowl champion, Pro Bowl guard, and critical piece of the offensive line, who has recently joined the coaching staff as an offensive assistant.

Heyward was a 1987 consensus First Team All-American who led the nation in rushing during his final season and finished fifth in Heisman voting. He left Pitt as the second-leading rusher in school history (behind only Tony Dorsett) with 3,086 career rushing yards. He also rushed for at least 100 yards in every game of the 1987 season. Heyward spent his first five seasons in the NFL as a member of the Black and Gold, tallying 432 carries for 1,813 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.

Ambrose was a 1991 First-Team All-American and First Team All-SWAC selection. He was named SWAC Defensive Back and Return Specialist of the Year in 1991, and he led the nation in punt returns during his senior campaign. Ambrose spent three NFL seasons in New Orleans. During his Saints tenure, he had 12 interceptions with one returned for a touchdown in addition to 116 solo tackles with two being for a loss.

The roster of nominees consists of both players and coaches who excelled during their college football career. The official announcement of the inductees of the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 will be made in January 2024.