The St. John's decision-makers put Blake Elliott in the backfield for the Johnnies against Mount Union in the 2003 Stagg Bowl, and the rest was history. St. John's athletics photo by John Biasi

Blake Elliott, the standout wide receiver who led Saint John's University to the 2003 NCAA Division III title and ended his career ranked among the receiving leaders in all divisions of college football, was named to the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame made the announcement live during the "College Football Live" program on ESPN.

A 2019 inductee into the SJU J-Club's Hall of Honor, Elliott joins his head coach, SJU's legendary John Gagliardi, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame's 2006 class, college football's all-time wins leader and the namesake of the Gagliardi Trophy, presented annually to the top player in Division III.

• Audio highlight: Blake Elliott rips off 51-yard TD run

"It's incredibly humbling," said Elliott, a three-time D3football.com All-American, two-time MIAC Player of the Year and the 2003 winner of the Gagliardi Trophy.

"It's still a little hard to believe. But something like this doesn't happen without a lot of other amazing people doing amazing things alongside you. If Saint John's had gone 5-5 every year I played there, none of this would be possible. I was lucky to play with incredibly talented teammates, and to play for a coach like John (Gagliardi), whose own accomplishments got so much deserved attention and acclaim."

Elliott is the first College Football Hall of Fame inductee from the Division III level since John Carroll linebacker London Fletcher – a 16-year veteran of the NFL – earned the honor in 2019.

"I am extremely proud of Blake Elliott and his selection to the College Football Hall of Fame," said current SJU head coach Gary Fasching, an assistant on Gagliardi's staff during Elliott's career at SJU from 1999 to 2003.

"Anyone who watched Blake during his career at Saint John's knows he was truly a special football player. No other player in the history of our program impacted a game the way he did. Whether it was catching passes, running the football or returning kicks, every time Blake touched the football, there was the potential for a big play. Blake had tremendous athletic ability and a fiery competitiveness that made him one of the most exciting college football players of all time.

"This is a tremendous honor for Blake and our football program as he joins our legendary coach John Gagliardi in the College Football Hall of Fame. Blake will now take his place among the best to play college football. Our players and coaches congratulate him on this incredible accomplishment."

The 18 first-team All-Americans and four standout coaches who make up the 2025 Class were selected from the national ballot of 77 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 101 players and 34 coaches from the divisional ranks.

They will be officially inducted during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 9, 2025, at the 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.