Southern Nash alum Julius Peppers is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame next year

One of the best football players ever from North Carolina will be eligible to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024. Former players are not eligible until five years after their retirement.

Julius Peppers retired from the NFL in February of 2019 after a 17-year career. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft and also went on to play for the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. Peppers finished his career with 159.5 sacks, the fourth most in NFL history. He recorded 716 tackles as a whole. His 51 forced fumbles is the second-most in league history. Peppers played in 97.8% of his possible games. His 266 games played is the sixth-most for a defensive player all-time.

Peppers is a product of Southern Nash High School, which is about 40 minutes east of Raleigh.

At Southern Nash, the iconic pass rusher made his name as a different kind of rusher. Peppers rushed for over 3,500 yards and 38 touchdowns over three seasons on the Firebirds’ varsity team.

As a basketball player, Peppers recorded 1,661 career points and over 950 rebounds. In track and field, Peppers helped Southern Nash win the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3A state championship in the 4x400 meter relay.

Legendary WRAL sports figure Bob Holliday has argued that Peppers is the best North Carolina athlete ever. 19204859

Peppers graduated from Southern Nash in 1998 and went on to play college football at the University of North Carolina, where, you guessed it, he had a great career.