Former West Virginia coach Jim Carlen and former defensive back Aaron Beasley remained as one of many names on this year’s National Football Foundation 2026 Hall of Fame Ballot.

Carlen was one of nine coaches on this year’s ballot, and is listed as a coach of the Mountaineers, Texas Tech and South Carolina. Carlen coached West Virginia from 1966-69, and had a 25-13-3 record, including his best season of 10-1 in 1969, which ended in a Peach Bowl win over 14-3 over South Carolina.

After four years, Carlen left West Virginia for Texas Tech, where he spent five years, and then on to South Carolina, where he spent most of his coaching career.

Over the three schools, Carlen had a 107-69-3 record, eight bowl wins and 13 winning seasons. In 1973, he was named National Coach of the Year.

Carlen passed away in 2012 at the age of 79 in South Carolina.

Beasley was one of the 79 players named to this year’s ballot, creating a lot of competition to be etched into the Hall of Fame.

He played four seasons at defensive back from 1992-95, playing in 45 games for the Mountaineers. Beasley was a ball hawk and had 19 interceptions in college, leading the NCAA in 1994 with 10. His 10 picks earned him first-team All-American Honors. Beasley helped WVU to an undefeated season in 1993.

Beasley was inducted into the WVU Hall of Fame in 2009.

After his time in WVU, Beasley was drafted in the third round by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1996. He played six years for the Jaguars, and in 1999 had six interceptions, returning two for touchdowns.

He went on to play for the New York Jets and then a season with the Atlanta Falcons. Over nine years, he racked up 24 picks.

If Carlen and Beasley were inducted, they’d be the 15th and 16th West Virginia members in the Hall of Fame. The most recent one inducted was All-American running back Steve Slaton, who will enter this year. Voting for the Hall of Fame ends on July 1, 2025, and the new members will be announced in early 2026.