Which College Has Most NFL Players?

The answer to this question may surprise you – it’s not necessarily the college with the most successful football program. In fact, there are a number of colleges that have produced a large number of NFL players, and the list changes from year to year. Here are some of the colleges that have had the most NFL players in recent years.

Clemson

Clemson University has produced the most NFL players of any college in the nation, according to a new study from Pro Football Focus.

The Tigers have had 78 players drafted into the NFL since 2006, five more than the University of Florida and 12 more than Ohio State University. Alabama ranks fourth with 65 drafted players.

The study also found that Clemson has had 13 first-round picks in the NFL Draft since 2006, tied with Ohio State for the most of any school. Alabama has had 12 first-round picks in that time period.

Ohio State

The Ohio State University has sent more players to the NFL than any other college in the nation, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by the website 24/7 Wall St., looked at which colleges have had the most players drafted into the NFL since 2000. Ohio State topped the list with 85 players drafted, followed by Notre Dame (77), USC (74), Miami (71) and Florida (67).

Interestingly, none of the schools in the top five are currently in the Football Bowl Subdivision’s Top 25 rankings. In fact, only four of the schools in the top 10 are currently ranked: LSU (6), Oklahoma (8), Georgia (9) and Alabama (10).

The rest of the top 10 is rounded out by Texas (11), which has had 64 players drafted since 2000, followed by Florida State (62), Penn State (61), Tennessee (57) and Michigan (56).

Alabama

Since 1932, Alabama has had 275 players drafted into the NFL, which is the most of any school. Notre Dame is second with 251 players drafted, while USC rounds out the top three with 243 players drafted.

LSU

LSU churns out NFL talent at an impressive rate. In the last decade, the Tigers have had 38 players drafted into the NFL – an average of nearly four per year. That total includes five first-rounders and six players who were taken in the second round. Nine LSU players were drafted in 2019 alone, tied for the most of any school in the country.

Part of LSU’s success in sending players to the NFL is due to the school’s emphasis on developing talent. The Tigers’ coaching staff is known for its excellent player development, and that has helped LSU produce a number of stars at the next level. In recent years,LSU standouts like Odell Beckham Jr., Leonard Fournette, Kevin Minter and Jamal Adams have all gone on to have successful NFL careers.

LSU also has a history of sending defensive players to the NFL. In fact, more defensive players have been drafted from LSU than any other school over the last decade. That trend continued in 2019 when three LSU defenders – Devin White, Greedy Williams and Rashard Lawrence – were all taken in the first round of the NFL Draft.

So if you’re looking for a school that produces NFL talent, LSU is definitely worth considering. With its excellent player development and history of success at the next level, the Tigers are one of the best schools for future pro football players.

Florida State

In recent years, Florida State has had more players drafted in the first round of the NFL draft than any other school. In fact, from 2013 to 2017, 13 Seminoles were selected in the first round. That’s more than double the number of first-round picks from Alabama, the school with the second most (six).

FSU has also had more players drafted in the first three rounds over that five-year stretch than any other school. The Seminoles have had 32 players drafted in the first three rounds since 2013, while Alabama is second with 27 and Ohio State is third with 26.

Notre Dame

With 57 NFL Draft picks since 2010, Notre Dame has had more players drafted into the NFL than any other school over the past decade. Stanford is second with 50 draft picks, while USC rounds out the top three with 47 drafted players.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma leads the way with 86 former players on NFL rosters, followed by Ohio State (83), USC (78), Miami (77) and Florida (75). Alabama, which has produced more first-round picks than any other school over the last five years, ranks sixth with 74 NFL players.

Texas A&M

Texas A&M has the most NFL players of any college in the nation, with 53 Aggies currently on NFL rosters. That’s more than double the number of NFL players from the next closest school, LSU (24).

A&M’s total includes four first-round picks from last year’s NFL Draft: linebacker Von Miller (Denver Broncos),rush linebacker Brooks Reed (Houston Texans), cornerback Brandon Harris (Houston Texans) and safety Curtis Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers).

Miami (FL)

The University of Miami (FL) has produced the most NFL players of any college in the country, with a total of 346 players as of 2019. This is followed closely by the University of Notre Dame, with 337 NFL players. The rest of the top five colleges include the University of Southern California (309), Ohio State University (302), and Penn State University (271).

Penn State

As of September 2020, there are 70 former Penn State Nittany Lions who are on active NFL rosters, the most of any college. The previous leaders were Notre Dame and USC, who had 69 and 68 active NFL players, respectively. Ohio State is close behindPenn State with 65 active NFL players.

The majority of Penn State’s 70 active NFL players are on defense (44), followed by offense (26) and special teams (2). The most represented position is defensive end (13), followed by linebacker (9), defensive tackle (7), offensive tackle (6) and safety (5). There are also four quarterbacks, three running backs, three cornerbacks and one each at tight end, guard, center and long snapper.