Football | 12/28/2024 10:45:00 AM

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Former Bloomsburg Husky legend Jahri Evans is again one step closer to enshrinement in Canton, Ohio as he was named a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025. He is one of the 15 modern-era player finalists announced on Saturday morning presented by Visual Edge.
 
Comprising the Class of 2025's Modern-Era Player list of candidates are nine players who also reached this stage in the selection process when the Class of 2024 was chosen, five players in their first year of eligibility and a first-time Finalist in his fourth year of eligibility.
 
The players, along with their positions, years and teams are:

• Eric Allen, Cornerback — 1988-1994 Philadelphia Eagles, 1995-97 New Orleans Saints, 1998-2001 Oakland Raiders
• Jared Allen, Defensive End — 2004-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2008-2013 Minnesota Vikings, 2014-15 Chicago Bears, 2015 Carolina Panthers
• Willie Anderson, Tackle — 1996-2007 Cincinnati Bengals, 2008 Baltimore Ravens
• Jahri Evans, Guard — 2006-2016 New Orleans Saints, 2017 Green Bay Packers
• Antonio Gates, Tight End — 2003-2018 San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers
• Torry Holt, Wide Receiver — 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars 
• Luke Kuechly, Linebacker — 2012-19 Carolina Panthers
• Eli Manning, Quarterback — 2004-2019 New York Giants
• Steve Smith Sr., Wide Receiver — 2001-2013 Carolina Panthers, 2014-16 Baltimore Ravens
• Terrell Suggs, Outside Linebacker/Defensive End — 2003-2018 Baltimore Ravens, 2019 Arizona Cardinals, 2019 Kansas City Chiefs
• Fred Taylor, Running Back — 1998-2008 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2009-2010 New England Patriots
• Adam Vinatieri, Kicker — 1996-2005 New England Patriots, 2006-2019 Indianapolis Colts
• Reggie Wayne, Wide Receiver — 2001-2014 Indianapolis Colts
• Darren Woodson, Safety — 1992-2003 Dallas Cowboys
• Marshal Yanda, Guard/Tackle — 2007-2019 Baltimore Ravens

The slate of candidates in the Modern-Era Player category will be considered when the Hall of Fame's Selection Committee meets prior to Super Bowl LIX. The Class of 2025 will be unveiled publicly February 6 during the "NFL Honors presented by Invisalign" broadcast from Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, La., on FOX and NFL Network and streamed on NFL+. The show airs at 9 p.m. ET.
 
Evans is a two-time finalist after being named such for the 2024 class as well and is a four-time semifinalist. The seven-time All-American for the Huskies is in his fifth year of eligibility for Hall of Fame selection.

"Jahri embodies what it means not only to be a Husky but a true Hall of Famer, as well," said director of athletics Dr. Michael McFarland. "He built an incredible foundation at Frankford High School before having a remarkable career at Bloomsburg and in the NFL with the Saints and Packers. His work off the field and in the community is second-to-none and we are extremely proud of Jahri and look forward to the chance to celebrate along side of him in Canton."
 
Evans was inducted into the Bloomsburg Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018 and into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2022. He is also on the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame ballot as well. Evans was a finalist for the NCAA DII 50th Anniversary Gold Award.
   
Evans took over as a full-time starter on the Huskies' offensive line in 2003, but it was in 2004 that the awards started rolling in for the left tackle. He was an American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) First Team All-American as a junior while earning Second Team All-American honors from the Associated Press and the Don Hansen Football Gazette. Then, as a senior in 2005, Evans helped the Huskies to an average of 284.3 rushing yards per game – eighth-most in the country. He earned First Team All-American honors from five organizations – the AFCA, Daktronics, Don Hansen Football Gazette, Associated Press, and D2Football.com. In his last two seasons, he was also a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award, which honors the nation's top lineman in Division II.
 
He earned the Danny Litwhiler Award as Bloomsburg's Male Underclass Athlete of the Year in 2005 and the Robert B. Redman Award as Bloomsburg's Male Senior Athlete of the Year in 2006.
 
Evans was then selected in the fourth round (108th overall) by the New Orleans Saints in the 2006 NFL Draft, becoming the first Huskies player chosen in the draft since 1992. He was selected to six consecutive Pro Bowls (2009-14) and was named a First Team All-Pro in four consecutive seasons from 2009-12 while earning Second Team All-Pro accolades in 2013. Evans was also named to the Pro Football Weekly All-Rookie Team in 2006, was a two-time Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award recipient (2009, 2011), and was a member of the New Orleans Saints' 50th Anniversary Team in 2016.
 
In 2008, The Jahri Evans Foundation was created to illustrate to student-athletes that academic excellence paves the way to athletic excellence through encouragement, determination, and hard work. The Jahri Evans Foundation is dedicated to enriching the lives of youth by improving their quality of education and promoting the overall health, safety, and physical fitness of all children. Evans and his foundation have sponsored free youth football and cheerleading camps each year in Philadelphia, with over 325 youth participating annually. Evans also assists former Bloomsburg assistant coach Brian McBryan at the annual McBryan Clinic, which is designed to give high school offensive linemen the skills they need to succeed.
 
Evans graduated from Bloomsburg in 2007 with a degree in exercise science. In 2009, he established a full scholarship for out-of-state minority students enrolled in Bloomsburg's Master of Science Clinical Athletic Training Program. The Jahri Evans Football Endowed Scholarship was established in 2014 and will carry on forever. Then, in 2017, Evans received his MBA in Executive Business Administration from The University of Miami.