Mike Leach Headlines 2027 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

LUBBOCK, TX — Former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach is among four former Red Raider coaches named to the 2027 ballot for the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame, the organization announced Monday.

This marks the first time Leach has appeared on the ballot after the National Football Foundation lowered the coaching eligibility requirement from a .600 to a .595 winning percentage. Leach, who died in 2022, finished his career with a .596 mark across stops at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State.

Leach is joined on the ballot by Pete Cawthon, Jim Carlen and Tommy Tuberville, all of whom previously served as head coaches at Texas Tech.

One of college football’s most influential offensive minds, Leach compiled an 84-43 record over 10 seasons at Texas Tech from 2000-09, leading the program to a bowl game each year. His tenure included three nine-win seasons and an 11-win campaign in 2008, and his 84 victories remain the most in program history.

Leach’s “Air Raid” offense helped rewrite NCAA record books, producing quarterbacks such as Kliff Kingsbury, B.J. Symons, Sonny Cumbie, Cody Hodges and Graham Harrell. Symons set an FBS single-season record in 2003 with 5,833 passing yards and 52 touchdowns.

He later coached at Washington State and Mississippi State, finishing with a 158-107 career record and 17 bowl appearances over 21 seasons.

Cawthon, who coached from 1930-40, holds the highest winning percentage in program history at .693, compiling a 76-32-6 record and leading Texas Tech to four conference titles, including a 10-0 regular season in 1938 and the program’s first Cotton Bowl appearance.

Carlen posted a 37-20-2 record from 1970-74, guiding the Red Raiders to four bowl games, including an 11-1 season in 1973 capped by a Gator Bowl win over Tennessee.

Tuberville went 20-17 during his three seasons at Texas Tech from 2010-12 and finished his collegiate coaching career with a 159-99 record across multiple programs.

Voting for the 2027 class begins this week among more than 12,000 National Football Foundation members and current Hall of Famers, with the class expected to be announced in early 2027.