Pitt Legend Aaron Donald Elected to College Football Hall of Fame
Legendary Pitt defensive tackle and Penn Hills grad Aaron Donald continues to a pile up awards and honors with the latest coming on Wednesday.
Donald has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2026, the National Football Foundation announced.
It comes just two months after the Panthers retired Donald’s No. 97 against Notre Dame at Acrisure Stadium, becoming the 11th Pitt player to have their jersey retired.
Pitt will now have 26 members associated with the program in the College Football Hall of Fame. Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was elected in 2024.
Donald starred at Pitt as a defensive tackle from 2010-13. He was a Unanimous First Team All-American and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year as a senior after leading the nation with 28.5 tackles for loss, along with 11 sacks and four forced fumbles. He also won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Outland Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award.
During the 2014 NFL Draft, Donald was selected with the 13th overall pick in the first round by the Los Angeles Rams. In L.A., Donald appeared in two Super Bowls, including a Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2021 season.
He was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times, becoming only the third player to do so. He also gathered NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2014, along with being named an eight-time First-Team All-Pro and a 10-time Pro Bowler.
He retired in 2024 as many believe he will be a unanimous selection into the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he’s eligible in 2029.
Donald finished his professional career with 542 total tackles (337 solo), 111 sacks and 24 forced fumbles.
While Donald left for the NFL after his 2013 season at Pitt, he maintained a strong relationship with the program where he developed into a star defensive tackle. Donald often returned to work out and train at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex during the summers.
In 2019, Donald made a seven-figure financial commitment to Pitt, marking the largest donation by a Pitt football letterman to the program. In recognition of his donation, Pitt renamed its practice facility on the South Side to the “Aaron Donald Football Performance Center.”
