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News—Jan. 14, 2026
Penn State’s Ki-Jana Carter Elected to College Hall of Fame
Former Penn State Running Back Ki-Jana Carter (1991-1994) is one of 22 men elected to the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta as part of its Enshrinement Class of 2026. Carter is officially the 27th Nittany Lion overall and the 22nd PSU player to be honored by the CHOF. He is the fourth running back from the Paterno-era to be enshrined in the Hall along with Lydell Mitchell, John Cappelletti, and Curt Warner. It was Ki-Jana’s fourth straight year on the Hall ballot. He will be officially honored in Las Vegas on Dec. 8, 2026, and at a Penn State football game sometime in the 2026 season.
Carter is one of the greatest running backs in Penn State history. He was a runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 1994 where his second-place finish may have been due to splitting the vote with his teammate Kerry Collins QB who placed 4th in the balloting. In the ‘94 season, Ki-Jana rushed for 1,695 yards (including his 156 yards in the 1995 Rose Bowl victory over Oregon) which is the 3rd best single season rushing total at PSU behind Larry Johnson (2,087 yards in 2002) and Lydell Mitchell (1,713 yards in 1971-which includes his 1972 Cotton Bowl rushing). Ki-Jana’s 83-yard TD run on the first offensive play of the ‘95 Rose Bowl is legendary.
Including all bowl games, Carter rushed for 3,085 yards in his career on 438 carries with 39 rushing touchdowns. His 7.04 career yards per carry is best all-time at Penn State and he is, in fact, the only Nittany Lion to exceed 7 yards per carry in his career. His 3,085 rushing yards is 11th all-time on PSU’s “modified/complete’ rushing list where all bowl/post-season stats are included. Carter delivered 17 games of 100+ yards rushing in his career which is tied for 2nd best all-time at PSU with Blair Thomas and Curtis Enis behind Curt Warner’s 18.
Ki-Jana’s career total of 39 rushing TDs is tied for 3rd best all-time at Penn State with Lydell Mitchell, Curtis Enis, & Kaytron Allen. That group trails Nick Singleton (45 TDs) & Saquon Barkley (43 TDs).
Courtney Brown DE (1996-99) was also a candidate on the ballot for the Hall’s Class of 2026 but was not elected.
