Julius Peppers and Antonio Gates Nominated as Football Hall of Fame Semifinalists

Julius Peppers and Antonio Gates, both three-time All-Pros, have been named semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2024 in their first year of eligibility.

They are part of a group of 25 modern-day semifinalists recently announced by the Hall of Fame from a pool of 173 nominees. Tiki Barber is the only other player to advance to the semifinal stage in his first year of eligibility.

Additionally, eight players who made it to the final stage of 15 in the class of 2023 return as semifinalists this year. They include Jared Allen, Dwight Freeney, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, Patrick Willis, Willie Anderson, and Darren Woodson.

The remaining semifinalists are Eric Allen, Anquan Boldin, Jahri Evans, London Fletcher, Eddie George, James Harrison, Rodney Harrison, Robert Mathis, Steve Smith Sr., Fred Taylor, Hines Ward, Ricky Watters, Reggie Wayne, and Vince Wilfork.

The 28 semifinalists will be narrowed down to 15 finalists before the final voting process in January. The 15 finalists will then be reduced to 10 and then five during the selection meeting early next year. The final five candidates will need to garner 80% of the votes from the panel to be inducted into the Hall.

Both Peppers and Gates were college basketball players before achieving success in football. Peppers, who had a two-sport career in college at North Carolina, had an illustrious 17-year career as a linemen. Gates, on the other hand, played only basketball in college before transitioning to become one of the NFL’s top tight ends.

Peppers concluded his career with 159½ sacks, the fourth-most since 1982. Gates finished with 955 catches for 11,841 yards and an NFL record for tight ends with 116 touchdown receptions, further solidifying their cases for the Hall of Fame.

Four additional finalists who were previously announced are Buddy Parker in the coaching category, and Randy Gradishar, Steve McMichael, and Art Powell in the senior category.

With the level of talent and competition at an all-time high, it will be intriguing to see who ultimately receives the prestigious honor of being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.