Oct 17, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints retired quarterback Drew Brees (9) reacts during his hall of fame ceremony at halftime against the Denver Broncos at Caesars Superdome.

Twenty-six modern-era candidates have advanced as semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026, it was announced Nov. 25 after another round of voting.

The group includes five first-ballot candidates – Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Frank Gore, Philip Rivers and Jason Witten – and 19 players who reached this stage of the process last year.

Four of the 19 returning semifinalists – Willie Anderson, Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri – automatically advanced to this stage after finishing in the top seven in balloting last year, as stipulated by the Hall’s bylaws.

Two other players are semifinalists for the first time: Lomas Brown and Kevin Williams.

Other semifinalists: Eli Manning, Fred Taylor, Steve Smith, Sr., Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne, Jahri Evans, Richmond Webb, Steve Wisniewski, Marshal Yanda, Rodney Harrison, Earl Thomas, Darren Woodson, Terrell Suggs, Robert Mathis and Vince Wilfork.

After reducing a slate of 52 modern-era candidates chosen by a screening committee, the Hall’s 50-member selection committee will vote in the coming weeks to reduce the list of 26 modern-era semifinalists to 15 finalists. The results of that voting will be announced in late December. Reduction votes are also occurring with subcommittees for the coach, contributor and seniors categories, with five finalists for those categories to be announced on Dec. 3.

The total of 20 finalists – 15 modern-day candidates, three seniors, one coach and one contributor – will be voted on by the entire selection committee in January and revealed in advance of Super Bowl 60.

The Hall’s bylaws stipulate that between four and eight new Hall of Famers will be selected for the Class of 2026.

Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on X: @JarrettBell

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pro Football Hall of Fame trims 2026 class to 26 modern-era hopefuls

Reporting by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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