Updated 4:38 p.m. Jan. 14.
A former Penn State football player has been immortalized with the sport’s elites.
Former Nittany Lion running back Ki-Jana Carter on Wednesday became the 21st Penn State player selected to the College Football Hall of Fame, the National Football Federation announced. He joins 17 other players and four coaches in the 2026 Hall of Fame class, which will be inducted on Dec. 8 in Las Vegas.
Including coaches, a total of 28 Penn Staters have now been named to the hall.
“Ki-Jana Carter represents everything that is special about Penn State Football,” Pat Kraft, vice president for intercollegiate athletics, said in a statement. “He played a major role in defining an era that elevated our program. Being elected to the College Football Hall of Fame is a fitting and well-deserved honor, and we are incredibly proud to welcome him as Penn State’s 28th Hall of Famer. We look forward to celebrating this tremendous achievement with Ki-Jana and his family.”
Carter donned the blue and white from 1991-94, including a monstrous senior season that saw him earn first-team All-Big Ten, unanimous All-American and Rose Bowl MVP honors. The Nittany Lions finished the year 12-0, their most recent undefeated season.
He totaled 395 carries for 2,829 yards (7.2 per carry) and 34 rushing touchdowns, adding 20 receptions for 172 yards. His 1994 season included 1,539 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns, marks that rank No. 3 and No. 2 in program history, respectively, earning him a second-place finish in Heisman Trophy voting.
His five touchdowns against Michigan State are tied for second-most by a Nittany Lion, and his 83-yard run against Oregon in the 1995 Rose Bowl stands as the sixth-longest in Penn State history.
After being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, Carter went on to have a lengthy NFL career, including five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, one with the Washington Redskins, one with the Green Bay Packers and two with the New Orleans Saints. He appeared in 59 games, totaling 1,144 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns, plus 66 receptions for 469 yards, though several injuries prevented him from ever realizing his potential.
He’s now the owner of ByoGlobe, a branded promotional products company, in Plantation, Florida.
