Dillard Named to 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot
6/3/2024 12:43:00 PM | Football
Repeat nominee
Record-setting receiver Jarett Dillard, who led Rice to its first bowl appearance and bowl victory in nearly five decades, is one of 77 players from the Football Bowl Subdivision on the 2025 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame announced on Monday by the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame.
Dillard is a repeater on this year's ballot and appeared on the 2022 ballot.
The ballot was emailed today to the more than 12,000 NFF members and current members of the Hall of Fame, whose votes will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF's Honors Court, which will deliberate and select the class. The 2025 induction class will be announced in early 2025, with specific details announced in the future.
Although lightly recruited out of high school and signing with a school known for its triple-option ground attack, Dillard thrived in the switch to a spread attack in his sophomore season and went on to set NCAA career records for most touchdown receptions (60) and games with a touchdown catch (38) as well as the single-season record for games with a touchdown reception and consecutive games with a touchdown reception (13) in 2006.
Despite playing with three different quarterbacks during a breakout sophomore season in 2006, he set NCAA single-season records for both games and consecutive games with a touchdown reception (13) and emerged with no preseason fanfare to be named a Biletnikoff Award finalist while leading the Owls to their first bowl berth in 45 years.
He caught 21 touchdown passes as a sophomore and then added 20 as a senior, becoming the only player in NCAA history to twice catch at least 20 touchdowns in a season. He wrapped his career while leading the Owls to a 10-4 season capped by a win in the Texas Bowl--their first bowl win since 1954—and with virtually every school receiving record in his possession.
He has held the NCAA career record for touchdown receptions for 16 years (2008 to present), the longest any receiver has held the record since 2020 inductee Elmo Wright's record of 34 stood from 1970 to 1989.
Dillard was the first Owl named to the Football Writers All-America team in 50 years in 2008. He was the first player from Rice to earn first-team All-Conference USA three times and set conference career marks for touchdown receptions and receiving yards (4,138). He was the 10th receiver in NCAA history to pass 4,000 yards receiving and the 13th player with four 1,000-yard seasons.
By the time he was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft, Dillard had caught at least two passes in each game of his career (49 games), the longest streak in NCAA history for players with multiple catches in every game of the streak. His 51 touchdown receptions from quarterback Chase Clement set the NCAA record for most touchdowns by a passing duo, and the tandem added a 52nd in the Texas Bowl as Dillard threw a scoring pass to Clement.
After three seasons in the NFL, Dillard retired and entered law school. He is currently Senior Counsel at Husch Blackwell, LLP, specializing in Business, Commercial & Construction Litigation. He was inducted into the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015 and was an inaugural member of the Conference USA Hall of Fame and the Texas Bowl Gridiron Legend in 2019.
Seven Rice players have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, including running back Trevor Cobb in 2018.
Dillard is a repeater on this year's ballot and appeared on the 2022 ballot.
The ballot was emailed today to the more than 12,000 NFF members and current members of the Hall of Fame, whose votes will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF's Honors Court, which will deliberate and select the class. The 2025 induction class will be announced in early 2025, with specific details announced in the future.
Although lightly recruited out of high school and signing with a school known for its triple-option ground attack, Dillard thrived in the switch to a spread attack in his sophomore season and went on to set NCAA career records for most touchdown receptions (60) and games with a touchdown catch (38) as well as the single-season record for games with a touchdown reception and consecutive games with a touchdown reception (13) in 2006.
Despite playing with three different quarterbacks during a breakout sophomore season in 2006, he set NCAA single-season records for both games and consecutive games with a touchdown reception (13) and emerged with no preseason fanfare to be named a Biletnikoff Award finalist while leading the Owls to their first bowl berth in 45 years.
He caught 21 touchdown passes as a sophomore and then added 20 as a senior, becoming the only player in NCAA history to twice catch at least 20 touchdowns in a season. He wrapped his career while leading the Owls to a 10-4 season capped by a win in the Texas Bowl--their first bowl win since 1954—and with virtually every school receiving record in his possession.
He has held the NCAA career record for touchdown receptions for 16 years (2008 to present), the longest any receiver has held the record since 2020 inductee Elmo Wright's record of 34 stood from 1970 to 1989.
Dillard was the first Owl named to the Football Writers All-America team in 50 years in 2008. He was the first player from Rice to earn first-team All-Conference USA three times and set conference career marks for touchdown receptions and receiving yards (4,138). He was the 10th receiver in NCAA history to pass 4,000 yards receiving and the 13th player with four 1,000-yard seasons.
By the time he was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft, Dillard had caught at least two passes in each game of his career (49 games), the longest streak in NCAA history for players with multiple catches in every game of the streak. His 51 touchdown receptions from quarterback Chase Clement set the NCAA record for most touchdowns by a passing duo, and the tandem added a 52nd in the Texas Bowl as Dillard threw a scoring pass to Clement.
After three seasons in the NFL, Dillard retired and entered law school. He is currently Senior Counsel at Husch Blackwell, LLP, specializing in Business, Commercial & Construction Litigation. He was inducted into the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015 and was an inaugural member of the Conference USA Hall of Fame and the Texas Bowl Gridiron Legend in 2019.
Seven Rice players have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, including running back Trevor Cobb in 2018.
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