Four Miami Alumni Listed On The 2025 College Football Hall Of Fame Ballot
The 2025 College Football Hall Of Fame ballot has officially been reveal and some notable Miami Hurricane alumni have been listed on the ballot. The list is headlined by legendary coaches Nick Saban and Urban Myers but some names from the University of Miami should be highlighted.
Sean Taylor (2001-2003)
Some consider Taylor one of the greatest to put on the orange, green, and white uniform and many will not disagree with that statement. In 2001, he was just one of four true freshmen to play and made an impact on special teams with 26 tackles (20 solo), as the Hurricanes won their fifth national Championship. Soon after he took over the starting role from another all-time great in Ed Reed and did not slow down his pace and was named First Team All-Big East in his sophomore year.
In his junior year, Taylor would lead the nation with 10 interceptions (returned 184 yards, second most in school history) to tie the school record. He set a Miami record by returning three of those picks for touchdowns and was once again third in tackles with 77 total (57 solo). He was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year, a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award given to the nation's best defensive back, and was named a consensus All-American. His 306 interception return yards and his three touchdowns on interceptions returned, are both second all-time at Miami behind only Reed (389 yards and 4 TD's). Sean is fifth all-time with 14 career interceptions, and his streak of interceptions in four consecutive games is second-longest in Canes history.
Ken Dorsey (1999-2002)
Currently the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, many might not know that Dorsey was one of the best quarterbacks in the country during the early 2000s. He holds many records for the University of Miami and in in the Big East when the Hurricanes were in the conference.
Some of his accolades include the 2002 BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year. He set school and BIG EAST records for touchdown passes (86), and passing yards (9,565 yards), along with the Miami record for total offense (9,165) among the many career school records he holds. He is also the winnest quarterback in Miami history with a record of 38-2 while being a Heisman Trophy finalist in both 2001 and 2002.
Darrin Smith (1989-1992)
In the late 80s and early 90s, Smith was known for being one of the fastest linebackers in college football and one of the best tacklers during that era. He is one of the only players to have two national championships (1989 & 1991) while holding many records in the Big East.
Smith is the fourth leading tackler in Hurricanes history and was a highly awarded player during his four playing years at Miami. He has been named to two-time first-team All-American as a junior and senior (1991 - UPI, Football News and 1992- UPI), second-team All-American (1991- AP), first-team All-BIG East (1992), BIG EAST co-Defensive Player of the Year in 1992, and a two-time Butkus Award semi-finalist.
Larry Coker (1995-2006)
In his six years as Miami head coach, he sported an overall 60-15 record for an 80-percent win percentage, which is third in Miami history behind only Dennis Erickson (.875) and Jimmy Johnson (.852). He claimed three Big East titles and was 8-2 against arch-rivals Florida and FSU. Over his entire dozen seasons coaching for the Hurricanes, Coker coached 23 All-Americans and was named the 2001 Bear Bryant Coach of the Year and the American Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year. During the 2002 season undefeated, he joined only Walter Camp from 1888-1889 to go undefeated through their first 24 games as a head coach.
