Jamaal Charles one of nine first-year nominees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2024 class
Former Texas running back Jamaal Charles is one of nine players nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 in their first year of eligibility as the roster of 173 modern-era nominees was revealed this week by the National Football League.
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Joining Charles on the list for consideration for the first time are wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Jordy Nelson, tight end Antonio Gates, offensive linemen T.J. Lang, Josh Sitton and Max Unger, and defensive linemen Haloti Ngata and Julius Peppers.
Any individual who last played in 2018 is eligible for the first time in 2024.
The full roster of nominees consists of 94 offensive players, 62 defensive players and 17 special teams players. The list of modern-era nominees will be reduced to 25 in November and then to 15 before the Selection Committee meets early in 2024 (on a date to be determined) in advance of Super Bowl LVIII.
Charles spent nine seasons of his 11-year professional career as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs and one each with Denver and Jacksonville.
He amassed 7,563 yards and 44 touchdowns rushing and added 2,593 yards and 20 scores receiving despite playing a full 16 games just three times in his career; Charles played in just two games in 2011, five in 2015 and only three in 2016 – his final season with the Chiefs.
Charles was the NFL rushing touchdowns leader in 2013, when he racked up 12 scores on the ground, and set league records for receiving touchdowns by a running back in a single game (with four in 2013) and in career yards-per-carry for running backs in a minimum of 1000 attempts (with 5.4 yards per tote).
He also set Kansas City marks with the longest rushing play from scrimmage (tied at 91 yards in 2013), career rushing yards (7,260), rushing yards in a game (259 in 2009) and receiving touchdowns in a game, the aforementioned four in 2013.
Charles was a two-time first team All-Pro (2010, 2013), a second team All-Pro (2013) and a four-time Pro Bowl participant (2010, 2012-14).
“A Hall of Fame player,” Kansas City coach Andy Reid said of Charles, whom he coached for four seasons. “He was tremendous. He could do everything. I mean, literally everything. A lot of running backs have played the game and he’s there, statistically, at the top. And then all of the things that he could do to help you win a football game, there are not a lot of guys who can do that, and he did it easily.
“He was a great player. I wish I would have had him when he was even younger than what I got him at.”
In three seasons on the 40 Acres from 2005-07, Charles amassed 3,328 yards and 36 touchdowns rushing and 539 yards and three TDs receiving. He was a member of Texas’ national championship team that won the BCS title game over USC in the Rose Bowl in 2006 but his best year as a Longhorn was in 2007, when he produced 1,619 rushing yards with an average of 6.3 yards per carry.
Charles’ highlight that season was when he carried 33 times for 290 yards in Texas’ 28–25 victory over Nebraska, the most ever against the Cornhuskers and then the fourth-highest total in Longhorns history. His 216 yards in the fourth quarter were just six shy of the NCAA record for a single quarter.
Other former Texas players on the list of modern-era nominees are running backs Priest Holmes, Eric Metcalf, and Ricky Williams and defensive lineman Casey Hampton.
