Ball, 34, had a decorated college career at Wisconsin, winning the Archie Griffin Award, the Doak Walker Award and the Jim Brown Award (twice). He was a two-time Consensus All-American, a two-time All-Big Ten player, a two-time Big Ten Running Back of the Year, and the Big Ten Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year in 2011.

The College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 featured three former SEC players, but the ballot had 15 candidates from the conference.

Dennis Thurman and Darrin Smith were among the best Cowboys defenders of their eras, but both left their mark on the college gridiron first.