Bill Snyder, Brian Bosworth, Jim Tressel top College Hall of Fame class

Paul Myerberg | USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS — A former Heisman Trophy winner, five unanimous All-America selections and two head coaches, one still active in the Football Bowl Subdivision, headline the College Football Hall of Fame class of 2015, which was unveiled on Friday with a slight undercurrent of controversy.

The controversy stems in large part from the election of former Ohio State coach and current Youngstown State President Jim Tressel, a five-time national champion who sits under an NCAA show-cause penalty for violations that occurred under his watch with the Buckeyes.

The NCAA cited Tressel for "unethical conduct" after he failed to report knowledge of impermissible benefits given to players during the 2010 season. Those ineligible players participated in games despite Tressel being aware that they had violated NCAA rules.

Levied on coaches who have been found by the NCAA to have committed significant rules violations, show-cause penalties would force a prospective employer to provide evidence as to why it should not face penalties for hiring the coach. Tressel's penalty expires on Dec. 19, 2016.

Tressel was eligible for his current post because the penalty only applies to NCAA athletics.

A second Hall of Fame selection, former Oklahoma linebacker Brian Bosworth, was ruled ineligible for the final game of his college career in early 1987 after testing positive for steroids. He is the only two-time winner of the Butkus Award, given annually to the best linebacker in college football.

Tressel is joined among coaches by Kansas State's Bill Snyder, who recently completed his 23rd season with the Wildcats. Snyder becomes just the fourth coach to be inducted into the Hall of Fame while still active, joining Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno and John Gagliardi of Carroll College and Saint John's University.

The most awarded new inductee, former Texas running back Ricky Williams, was a two-time unanimous first-team All-America selection; a two-time winner of the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation's best running back; and the winner of the 1998 Heisman Trophy. He finished his college career with 21 NCAA records, including marks for all-purpose yards and rushing touchdowns.

Bosworth is one of six defensive players in the 2015 class. Former Nebraska linebacker Trev Alberts, the Cornhuskers' 17th selection, won the Butkus Award in 1993. former Texas Tech linebacker Zach Thomas, who went on to have a successful career in the NFL, was an All-America selection in 1994 and 1995.

Joining this group of defenders are former Kentucky defensive end Art Still, the 1977 Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year; former Arizona State linebacker Bob Breunig, who finished his career in 1974 as the Sun Devils' all-time leader in tackles and solo tackles; and former Millsaps College defensive lineman Sean Brewer, a three-time Division III All-American and the first inductee in school history.

Two lineman, former Pittsburgh tackle Ruben Brown and former Washington tackle Lincoln Kennedy, join Williams among the nine offensive players in the 2015 class.

At running back, the class includes Dick Jauron of Yale, the former head coach of the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills; Clinton Jones of Michigan State, who helped lead the Spartans to back-to-back national championships in 1965 and 1966; and Rob Lytle of Michigan, who set the program's single-season record for rushing yards as a senior in 1976.

The class also includes two wide receivers: Wes Chandler, who starred at Florida from 1974-77 and left as the Gators' all-time leader in touchdown receptions, and Notre Dame's Thom Gatewood, who led the Fighting Irish in receptions in each season from 1969-71 and held the program's career receptions record for more than 30 years.

Former Marshall quarterback Michael Payton, the program's fourth Hall of Fame selection, led the Thundering Herd to the 1992 Football Championship Subdivision national championship.

The 17 new inductees brings the Hall of Fame's number to 963 players and 209 coaches. With Brewer's selection from Millsaps, the Hall of Fame now represents 302 schools with at least one member. The official induction of this year's class will take place in New York City on Dec. 8, 2015.

The complete Hall of Fame class:

Nebraska LB Trev Alberts (1990-93)

Oklahoma LB Brian Bosworth (1984-86)

Arizona State LB Bob Breunig (1972-74)

Millsaps (Miss.) DL Sean Brewer (1989-92)

Pittsburgh OT Ruben Brown (1991-94)

Florida WR Wes Chandler (1974-77)

Notre Dame WR Thom Gatewood (1969-71)

Yale RB Dick Jauron (1970-72)

Michigan State RB Clinton Jones (1964-66)

Washington OT Lincoln Kennedy (1989-92)

Michigan RB Rob Lytle (1974-76)

Marshall QB Michael Payton (1989-92)

Kentucky DE Art Still (1974-77)

Texas Tech LB Zach Thomas (1992-95)

Texas RB Ricky Williams (1995-98)

Kansas State coach Bill Snyder (1989-2005, 2009-Present)

Youngstown State and Ohio State coach Jim Tressel (1986-2010)