Ryan Yarborough Becomes the Third Wyoming Cowboy Player Elected to The NFF College Football Hall of Fame

He Joins Jay Novacek and Eddie "Boom Boom" Talboom in NFF College Football Hall of Fame

IRVING, Texas  (Jan. 15, 2025) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced its 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Football Class on Wednesday. Among the 22 individuals selected as members of the 2025 class was former University of Wyoming two-time All-America wide receiver Ryan Yarborough.

Yarborough was an explosive playmaker at Wyoming whose ability to make clutch catches and stretch the field helped make him one of the most prolific receivers in college football history. The Park Forest, Illinois, product now becomes the third player from Wyoming to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.

Wyoming’s first two-time First Team All-American, Yarborough led the nation in receiving yards in both 1992 (1,351) and 1993 (1,512). He set NCAA marks at the time for the most career receiving yards (4,357—still ranks ninth), 200-plus yard receiving games (7), most 1,000-yard receiving seasons in a career (3), and the most games catching a touchdown pass in a career (27).

He still holds the NCAA record for yards per reception (minimum of 200 catches), averaging 19.0 yards for his 229 career receptions. His 42 career touchdown receptions still rank eighth all-time, and his average of 137.5 receiving yards per game in 1993 still ranks him among the top 30 in history.

Playing for coaches Paul Roach his freshman season and Joe Tiller the next three years, Yarborough helped the Cowboys to a 26-21 overall record, including appearances in the 1990 and 1993 Copper Bowls and an 8-4 record in 1993 with a share of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) title.

Yarborough was a dominant force in the WAC, earning First Team All-WAC honors in both 1992 and 1993. He led Wyoming in receiving for three straight years from 1991 to 1993 and broke nearly every significant school receiving record, including the single-season mark for receiving yards with 1,512 in 1993, the single-season record for touchdown receptions with 16, and the career record for touchdown receptions with 42.

Selected in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Jets, Yarborough played six seasons in the NFL with Jets, Packers, Ravens and Saints. He was inducted into the Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003. He currently works as a coach and business consultant in the Houston area.

The 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class will officially be inducted during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 9, 2025, at Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

The inductees will also be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the fall. Their accomplishments will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Each inductee will receive a custom ring created by Jostens, the official and exclusive supplier of NFF rings.

He joins two other former Cowboy players and four former Wyoming coaches as members of the College Football Hall of Fame. Tight end Jay Novacek was enshrined in 2008 and Eddie "Boom Boom" Talboom was inducted posthumously as a tailback in 2000. Former Cowboy head coach Bowden Wyatt was inducted posthumously as a player (Tennessee) in 1972 and then was inducted as a coach (Wyoming, Arkansas, Tennessee) in 1997, becoming only the third individual at that time to be inducted as both a player and coach -- the other two being Amos Alonzo Stagg and Bobby Dodd. The other College Football Hall of Famers from the University of Wyoming are former head coach Bob Devaney (Wyoming, Nebraska) who was inducted in 1981, Pat Dye in 2005, William "Lone Star" Dietz in 2012 and Dennis Erickson in 2019.

ABOUT The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship, and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters in 47 states, NFF programs include the criteria, selection and induction of members of the College Football Hall of Fame; the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta; Future For Football; The William V. Campbell Trophy®; the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments; the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Awards presented by the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation & Hatchell Cup presented by the Original Bob's Steak & Chop House; and a series of programs and initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Bruin Capital, Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Hampshire Companies, Hanold Associates Executive Search, Jostens, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, New York Athletic Club, Pasadena Tournament of Roses and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.