Georgia icon finally gets his due as one of the greatest in college football history

The wait is over. Garrison Hearst is finally a College Football Hall of Fame! The iconic running back dazzled Between the Hedges in the early 1990s. He set SEC rushing records previously held by Herschel Walker and Bo Jackson en route to a top-three finish for the 1992 Heisman Trophy before becoming a first-round pick by the then-Phoenix Cardinals. He had a storied, but complicated career.

You better believe Georgia Football's official account over on X was all about Hearst finally getting in.

During his college career, Hearst broke Jackson's yards-per-carry record with a 6.8 average. On the Walker side of things, he broke three SEC single-season records held by the fellow UGA iconic back with points scored (126), total touchdowns (21), and rushing touchdowns (19). During that brilliant 1992 season, Hearst finished third for the Heisman Trophy behind Gino Torretta and Marshall Faulk...

It has been almost 35 years since Hearst set the SEC on fire with his tremendous all-around game.

Garrison Hearst's CFB Hall of Fame election was so long overdue for UGA

Although the 1990s have gone down as the decade full of struggle for the Georgia Bulldogs football program, that 1992 season stands out. You had Eric Zeier at quarterback and Hearst running all over the SEC for Ray Goff. It would be a few years later before Kirby Smart suited up for Georgia... In the pantheon of football, college and pro, Hearst is a testament to greatness amid so much adversity.

He had to play for the laughable Cardinals and briefly the Cincinnati Bengals out of the gate. Hearst won multiple NFL Comeback Player of the Year awards. When he finally got to the San Francisco 49ers in the mid-to-late 90s, that is when his greatness was truly appreciated on a national level. He was the guy Steve Young trusted to hand the ball off to. Unfortunately, he suffered a brutal injury...

Hearst missed two seasons with a destroyed ankle before making his way back to the gridiron. He still finished his pro career with a ton of stats and accolades, arguably one of the greatest who could have been... For that reason, he will never be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Playing running back takes a toll on one's body. Thankfully, the college football world finally saw right to honor him.

Prior to Stetson Bennett IV finishing fourth for the Heisman Trophy in 2022, Hearst was Georgia's last finalist. The Dawgs have not had a winner since Walker took it home in 1982 over the likes of Eric Dickerson and John Elway. Torretta starred for a juggernaut in Miami, while Faulk did extraordinary things for ... San Diego State. No wonder Faulk became a legend in both the college and pro games.

To tie a bow on this, this unique chapter of Georgia football lore felt incomplete. Not having a player as dynamic as Hearst among the greatest to ever do it in the SEC felt a bit unfair. Of the many teams tremendous Georgia teams that existed before the College Football Playoff, how would the 1992 team have fared vs. the best in the sport at that time? Hearst getting elected makes that era matter.

Congratulations on being one of the best to ever do it, and being a Damn Good Dawg all these years!