Rudy Hubbard (Florida A&M), Joe Taylor (Howard, Hampton, Florida A&M), Eddie P. Hurt (Morgan State) and Gideon Smith (Hampton) are on the ballot for induction into the 2019 College Football Hall of Fame.

The ballot was emailed Monday to the more than 12,000 NFF members and current Hall of Famers whose votes will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF's Honors Courts, which will deliberate and select the class. The FBS Honors Court, chaired by NFF Board Member and College Football Hall of Famer Archie Griffin from Ohio State, and the Divisional Honors Court, chaired by former Marshall head coach, longtime athletics director and NFF Board Member Jack Lengyel, include an elite and geographically diverse pool of athletic administrators, Hall of Famers and members of the media.

Hubbard led Florida A&M to the inaugural Division I-AA Championship in 1978 while also defeating the University of Miami in 1979. Hubbard’s tenure produced nearly a dozen All-American players, highlighted by three-time first team All-American guard Tyrone McGriff (1977-79), who in 1996, became the first FAMU player to be enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, as a member of the Hall's inaugural Divisional Class of players. Should Hubbard be elected, he would become the third coach in the Hall of Fame to have served at Florida A&M joining the legendary A.S. "Jake" Gaither (1975) and William “Billy” Joe (2007), and the fifth Rattler Football personality, which includes former All-Americans Tyrone McGriff (1996) and halfback Willie Galimore (1999).

Taylor amassed a 233-96-4 (.700) record in 29 seasons at Hampton, Florida A&M and Virginia Union, ranking him third all-time in wins among HBCU football coaches, behind John Merritt (Tennessee State) and Eddie Robinson (Grambling State). At Hampton, Taylor became the all-time winningest coach in school history, boasting a 136-48-1 (.735) record. He accounted for four Black College National Championships (1994, 1997, 2004, 2005) and won five MEAC titles with postseason appearances in the NCAA FCS playoffs (1997, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2006). Before Hampton’s transition to Division I, he coached the Pirates to two NCAA Division II playoff appearances (1992, 1993), including their first playoff win over Albany State (33-7).

He coached 12 future NFL players, including current players Kendall Langford, Justin Durant, Kevin Elliott and Brian Tyms. He won a share of the 2010 MEAC title at Florida A&M, guiding the Rattlers to a 37-29 mark in four seasons. At Virginia Union, Taylor won one CIAA Championship in 1986 and guided the Panthers to three NCAA Division II appearances, while compiling a 60-19-3 mark. He has been inducted into three collegiate hall of fames: Western Illinois, Virginia Union and the CIAA. Taylor currently serves as the Director of Athletics at Virginia Union University.

Hurt led Morgan's football teams to six Black College National Championships and won 14 CIAA titles. Eleven of his squads executed undefeated seasons, including a non-losing string of games from 1932 to 1938. His 1943 team did not allow a score from a single opponent. Prior to Morgan State, Hurt coached at Virginia Theological Seminary and College (now Virginia University of Lynchburg) from 1925 to 1928.

Smith (1921-40) led Hampton to the 1922 Black College National Championship and recorded four CIAA titles and two unbeaten seasons in his career. He is the longest tenured coach in Hampton history and has the second-most wins all-time at the school.

The announcement of the 2019 Class will be made Monday, Jan. 7, 2019, in Santa Clara, Calif. The city is serving as the host for the CFP National Championship, which will be played later that day at Levi's Stadium. Some of the electees will be on site during the announcement to represent the class and share their thoughts on being elected. The Jan. 7 announcement will be televised live, and specific viewing information will be available as the date draws near. Several of the electees will also participate in the pregame festivities and the coin toss before the championship game.

The 2019 class will officially be inducted during the 62nd NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 10, 2019, at the New York Hilton Midtown. They will also be honored at their respective schools with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the 2019 season.