The National Football Foundation (NFF) released its 2015 ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame, which included first-timers like Matt Leinart and Brian Urlacher.

Also entering the ballot for the first time was Michael Bishop, Derrick Brooks, Terrell Buckley, Kerry Collins, Rod Woodson, Day Nguyen, Morten Andersen and Mike Utley, the Associated Press reported. Returning for another try are Eric Dickerson, Randall Cunningham, Troy Davis, Raghib Ismail and the late Jerome Brown.

The NFF also nominated the following coaches to the Hall of Fame ballot: Jim Carlen, Pete Cawthon, Danny Ford, Billy Jack Murphy and Darryl Rogers.

"Having a ballot and a voice in the selection of the inductees is one of the most cherished NFF member benefits," NFF Chairman Archie Manning, a 1989 Hall of Fame inductee from Ole Miss, said in a news release. "There is no group more knowledgeable or passionate about college football than our membership, and the tradition of the ballot helps us engage them in the lofty responsibility of selecting those who have reached the pinnacle of achievement in our sport."

Leinart led the Southern California Trojans to a National Title in 2004, the same year he won the Heisman Trophy. However, his college football success did not translate in the NFL, as he has not played for any team since Aug. 2013.

At New Mexico, Urlacher won Mountain West Player of the Year honors in 1999 and will one day be inducted to the NFL's Hall of Fame as an all-time great linebacker.

"It's an enormous honor to just be on the ballot when you think that more than 5.06 million people have played college football," NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell said in the release. "The Hall's requirement of being a First-Team All-American creates a much smaller pool of only 1,500 individuals who are even eligible to be on the ballot, so being in today's elite group means an individual is truly among the greatest to ever have played the game, and we are proud to announce their names. We look forward to announcing the 2016 Hall of Fame Class on the Friday before the College Football Playoff National Championship."