Two more former Oklahoma stars are on the doorstep of Canton.
When the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 was officially inducted over the weekend, attention quickly shifted to the 2027 class - and for Sooners fans, it brought a familiar and pretty big development. Adrian Peterson and Gerald McCoy are both first-time eligibles for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2027.
The full list of first-time eligibles also includes Rob Gronkowski, Ben Roethlisberger, Richard Sherman, Cam Newton, Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell, Andrew Whitworth, Alex Mack and Eric Weddle.
Peterson’s case is the louder one, and it starts with how dominant he was when he was healthy. Yes, his off-field issues have followed him, even recently, but his football résumé is hard to ignore. He’s widely viewed as one of the greatest running backs the game has ever seen, from high school to college to the pros.
Over a 15-year career with the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks, Peterson made seven Pro Bowls and earned four First-Team All Pro selections. He probably stayed in the league longer than he should have after the 2021 season, but that extended career only adds to the absurdity of what he was at his peak.
His 2012 season alone makes a compelling Hall of Fame argument. Coming back from an ACL and MCL tear late in 2011, Peterson was ready for the start of the next season and nearly pulled off one of the most outrageous rushing seasons ever.
He won NFL Most Valuable Player honors after finishing with 2,097 rushing yards, just 208 shy of Earl Campbell’s NFL record. Even 14 years later, he remains the last running back to win NFL MVP.
That season also earned him the vote of his peers as the league’s top player.
McCoy’s path is a little different, but the Hall of Fame case is still very much there. He spent 12 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders, was named First-Team All Pro in 2013 and rattled off six straight Pro Bowls from 2012 through 2017 with Tampa Bay.
For Oklahoma fans, McCoy’s connection to the program has never really faded. He still uses social media to recruit for his alma mater, and during his time in Tampa Bay he famously blasted “Boomer Sooner” through the weight room speakers. If both men make it to Canton next August, that same song ought to be ringing out there, too.
Right now, only two former Sooners are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: wide receiver Tommy McDonald and defensive tackle Lee Roy Selmon. If Peterson and McCoy eventually get the call, Oklahoma’s total in Canton would double. Troy Aikman could also be part of that conversation, though he started his college career in Norman before going elsewhere.
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