Former Jaguars HC Jack Del Rio on 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

The former Jaguars head coach and USC Trojan linebacker has been officially named to the 2021 College Football Hall of fame ballot.

One of the best head coaches in Jacksonville Jaguars history has found himself on the brink of writing himself into college football history, as former Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio has been officially named to the ballot for the 2021 College Football Hall of Fame. 

Del Rio is best known during his decades as an NFL coach for his relative success as the successor to Tom Coughlin in Jacksonville, but it was long before then when the current Washing Redskins defensive coordinator made a name for himself on the gridiron. 

As a linebacker at USC from 1981-1984, Del Rio was an instant starter and impact player for the Trojans' defense. He was a consensus First Team All-American honor in his senior season in 1984 and earned Co-MVP honors in USC's 1985 Rose Bowl win. 

By the end of his USC career, he had recorded 340 tackles and 58 tackles for loss and had been named a First Team All-Conference player multiple times during his Trojans tenure. 

"It's an enormous honor to just be on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot considering more than 5.4 million people have played college football and only 1,027 players have been inducted," said National Football Foundation President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "The Hall's requirement of being a First-Team All-American creates a much smaller pool of about 1,500 individuals who are even eligible. Being in today's elite group means an individual is truly among the greatest to have ever played the game, and we look forward to announcing the 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Class Presented by ETT early next year."

During his tenure with the Jaguars, Del Rio solidified himself as one of the best coaches in the team's 25-year history. One of just six head coaches (counting Mel Tucker's intern tenure in 2011), Del Rio has the second-best winning percentage as a head coach in franchise history with .489%, a result of his 68-71 record as head coach in Jacksonville. 

Tied with Coughlin for the most wins as a head coach in team history, and trailing only Coughlin's .531% winning percentage, it is hard to argue against Del Rio as Jacksonville's second-most successful head coach ever. 

The first head coach to roam Jacksonville's sidelines not named Tom Coughlin, Del Rio coached the Jaguars from 2003 until the final five games in 2011, when he was fired during the season.

During Del Rio's nearly nine years in Jacksonville, he led the Jaguars to two playoff appearances with a 1-2 record in the playoffs. He also oversaw the Jaguars finish with two seasons with 11 wins or more, as well as five seasons in which the Jaguars had records of .500 or better. Considering the Jaguars have won double-digit games in a season just one time since Del Rio's tenure, it is safe to say he had one of the more successful tenures in team history.