The Pro Football Hall of Fame has made sweeping changes to its selection process that include a significant reduction in the number of selectors and the elimination of the separate Seniors category. Hall of Fame president and CEO Jim Porter announced the changes Friday, and they will take effect as the Hall's Class of 2027 is considered.

Porter said the changes were made after a 2½-year review of the selection process and were recently approved by the Hall's board of directors. The board of selectors will be reduced from 50 to 28, as 25 members of the selection committee will be voting members, plus three alternates. There will no longer be at least one selector in each of the home markets of the 32 NFL teams.

All players will now be considered in one pool rather than split into either "modern era" or "seniors," with the latter being players who had had their modern era eligibility expire after 25 years. Players will still be eligible for induction five years after their retirement but will simply remain on the list of all eligible players after that. There will continue to be Coach and Contributor categories.

Each year, after voting reductions, a list of 13 players, one coach and one contributor -- 15 in all -- will be considered for enshrinement. The Hall said an induction class could now be between three and seven members. It takes 80% approval for enshrinement, so realistically, most classes will likely now be five or six enshrinees. For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hall will return to an in-person meeting of the selectors for the final votes.