Liberty Christian head football coach and former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten is one step closer to entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Witten was named as one of the final 15 candidates for the 2026 class on Tuesday. It is his first time being on the ballot.
He was originally named as a candidate in September, along with 127 other former players.
Since then, the list has been cut from 128 to 50, to 25 and now the 15 finalists.
According to a Dallas Cowboys press release, Witten is the Cowboys’ all-time leader in receptions with 1,215, receiving yards with 12,977 and games played with 255.
Witten will need 80 percent of the vote from the selection committee to be inducted with the Class of 2026.
He will find out if he was voted in or not in February at NFL Honors during Super Bowl week in San Francisco.
As a coach with Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Witten has led the Warriors to back-to-back state championships.
In 2022, Witten interviewed for a job in Nashville, Tennessee, but decided to return as the head coach at Liberty Christian.
Witten joins former Cowboys safety Darren Woodson as the only two Cowboys to be named finalists for the Class of 2026.
