What College Has The Most Nfl Players All Time?
If you’re a fan of the NFL, you may be wondering which college has produced the most professional football players. The answer may surprise you.
Miami
The University of Miami has had the most NFL players of any college over the last decade, with 202 former Hurricanes appearing on NFL rosters in 2019. That’s an average of 20.2 players per year, a full 2.3 players more than the next school on the list.
Notre Dame is second on the list, with 178 former Fighting Irish players appearing in the NFL last season. That’s followed by Ohio State (173), USC (164), Alabama (161), Florida State (143), Oklahoma (142), LSU (141) and Texas (139).
Interestingly, there are only two schools outside of Division I football that made the top 10 list: Appalachian State and Marshall, who both have had 119 players drafted into the NFL since 2000.
USC
USC has produced the most NFL players of any university, with 481 as of the end of the 2009 season. This is almost twice as many as the second place school on the list, Notre Dame. Below is a breakdown of the top colleges in terms of producing NFL talent. These numbers are based on a player’s school of record at the time he entered the NFL – meaning if a player went to college for three years, then transferred to another school for his senior season, he would be counted under his original school.
USC – 481
Notre Dame – 247
Miami (FL) – 231
Michigan – 227
Ohio State -223
Nebraska – 202
Texas – 189
Florida State – 184
Tennessee – 166
Ohio State
With 494 NFL players all-time, Ohio State is far and away the leader in producing NFL talent. That’s nearly 100 more players than the school in second place, Notre Dame. The Buckeyes have also had 83 first-round picks in the NFL draft, which is 20 more than any other school.
The school has produced some of the biggest names in NFL history, including Pro Football Hall of Famers like running back Jim Brown, linebacker Jack Ham, defensive end Reggie White and linebacker Dick LeBeau. Ohio State has also had at least one first-team All-Pro in every decade since the 1940s.
Florida
One of the most important factors in choosing a college is the ability to play at the next level. Colleges that have produced the most NFL players of all time may not be the most popular or renowned, but they have definitely sent the most talent to the pros.
Florida tops the list with 491 NFL players, followed by USC with 467 and Miami with 423. UC Berkeley and Nebraska round out the top five, while Texas, Ohio State, Penn State, LSU and Notre Dame are also represented in the top ten.
Other notable colleges include Alabama, Oklahoma, Florida State and Michigan. It’s clear that if you want to play in the NFL, attending one of these schools will give you a better chance than most.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma has had more NFL players than any other college over the last 20 years, according to a recent study.
The study, conducted by the National Football League Players Association, looked at the colleges that have produced the most NFL players since 1993. Oklahoma topped the list with 178 NFL players, followed by Miami (162), Ohio State (149), Florida (145) and USC (143).
“This is a great recognition for our program and for the hard work of our coaches and players,” said OU head coach Bob Stoops. “It’s always been a goal of ours to produce great players not only for the NFL, but for life after football.”
Oklahoma has had at least one player selected in every NFL Draft since 1963, and has had first-round picks in each of the last three drafts. Nine OU players were taken in the 2014 NFL Draft, tied for the most of any school.