Feel Old Yet? The Sons of Ex-NFL Stars Are Everywhere in College Football

From the sons of Rodney Harrison to Brandon Jacobs to Charles Woodson, college football is loaded with names who will make you wonder where time has gone.

Charles Woodson's son is following in his footsteps at Michigan. | Long Photography-Imagn Images

We’ve all been there. We’ve all heard the ding of a news notification or scoured the news landscape and stumbled upon an article that made us age a decade in seconds.

So-and-so’s son {Insert name of ex-pro star} has committed to this big-name university.

It’s enough to spark a wave of emotions that are equal parts nostalgia, excitement and existential crisis all rolled into one.

The latest episode of the I-feel-old-now show dropped on Friday, when Charles Woodson Jr., the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Woodson, turned back the clock by committing to his father’s alma mater, Michigan.

So it got us thinking. Not that we want anyone to feel older than they already feel having consumed that news yesterday, but just how many other sons of former NFL stars are out there in the college football landscape, either on rosters or as committed recruits?

That said, here is Sports Illustrated’s All-Feel-Old-Yet? team.

Sons of Ex-NFL stars on college football rosters

Brayden Jacobs
NFL pedigree: Brandon Jacobs’s son
College football status: Soph., OL, Clemson Tigers

Clemson offensive lineman Brayden Jacobs is the son of former bruising NFL running back Brandon Jacobs. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Perhaps one of the few people on the planet that could make former bruising Giants running back Brandon Jacobs look small is his son Brayden, a hulking offensive tackle who stands 6’ 7“ and weighs in at 355 pounds.

With some turnover on the Clemson line entering 2026, Jacobs, who showed flashes in four starts last year, could be an important member of the Tigers roster this season. And who knows? Maybe we’ll even see Jacobs channel his father and line up at fullback again, as he did for one snap last year.

Christian Harrison
NFL pedigree: Rodney Harrison’s son
College football status: R-Sr., CB, Arkansas Razorbacks

Christian Harrison (1) of the Arkansas Razorbacks plays in the defensive backfield just as his father Rodney did for 15 NFL seasons. | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

Harrison played sparingly for Tennessee in three seasons, then transferred to Cincinnati, where he blossomed into an every-down player, leading the Bearcats in solo tackles and passes defended while playing the second-most snaps of any defensive player.

Harrison in Jan. of 2026 then transferred to Arkansas, where he will play for first-year coach Ryan Silverfield. A skilled cover corner, Harrison also clearly inherited his father’s physicality near the line of scrimmage, a trait that served the former All-Pro safety well in his decorated 15-year career for the Chargers and Patriots.

Bryce Young
NFL pedigree: Bryant Young’s son
College football status: Jr., DL, Notre Dame

Notre Dame defensive lineman Bryce Young (95) has an NFL pedigree. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Young’s father Bryant, during a Hall of Fame career playing both defensive end and tackle, racked up 89.5 sacks, which ranks among the top-50 on NFL’s official all-time sacks list. The elder Young has played in 28 games in two seasons for his father’s alma mater, but has made just one start.

That’s about to change entering his junior year in 2026, as Young, who has bulked up and worked closely with the Fighting Irish coaching staff to add to his pass-rushing craft, could be poised for a big year with a talented Notre Dame team.

Kennedy Urlacher
NFL pedigree: Brian Urlacher’s son
College football status: Jr., S, USC Trojans

USC safety Kennedy Urlacher (28), the son of Bears legend Brian Urlacher, is poised to claim a starting role for the Trojans in 2026. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Brian Urlacher was a do-it-all linebacker and the heart and soul of the Bears defense for 13 seasons, a sideline-to-sideline hard-hitter who also possessed the range to hold his own in coverage. Urlacher’s resume—eight Pro Bowls, four All-Pro nominations and a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame—speaks for itself.

Now, Urlacher’s son Kennedy, who looks poised to start for USC at strong safety in 2026, will get a chance to lay down the boom like his father once did for the Bears.

Owen McCown
NFL pedigree: Josh McCown’s son
College football status: R-Sr., QB, UTSA Roadrunners

Quarterbacking runs in the McCown family, where UTSA quarterback Owen McCown (2), the son of Josh McCown, is up next. | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Ok, we might be stretching the definition of star more than a bit to include Josh McCown, but the longtime NFL quarterback was successful as a reliable backup for 16 seasons, making 76 career starts while earning roughly $52 million from contracts with 12 different teams.

Quarterbacking continues to be the McCown family business, as Josh’s son—and Randy and Luke’s nephew—has blossomed into one of the better passers in the country after transferring over from Colorado. In the last two seasons, McCown has completed 65.1% of his passes for a combined 6,419 passing yards, 55 touchdowns and 17 interceptions while leading the Roadrunners to bowl game wins in both 2024 and 2025.

UTSA should remain one of the best offenses in the American Conference with McCown at the controls.

Honorable mentions

Devin Fitzgerald, WR, Notre Dame - son of Larry Fitzgerald
Kaydon Finley, WR, Notre Dame - son of Jermichael Finley
Thomas Davis Jr., LB, Notre Dame - son of Thomas Davis
Jerome Bettis Jr., WR, Notre Dame - son of Jerome Bettis
Cole Leinart, QB, SMU - son of Matt Leinart
Chris Henry Jr., WR, Ohio State - son of Chris Henry
London Bironas, K, Stanford - son of Rob Bironas
Dylan Raiola, QB, Oregon - son of Dominic Raiola
Dayton Raiola, QB, Oregon - son of Dominic Raiola

Five more names to keep in mind

Just in case you weren’t already feeling old enough, here are five more names to watch for future seasons of college football—with one bonus name sprinkled in.

Sam Ngata
NFL pedigree: Haloti Ngata’s son
College football status: OLB, committed to Oregon, Class of 2027

Haloti Ngata was an All-American interior defensive lineman for the Ducks in 2005, parlaying his collegiate success into the first round of the 2005 NFL draft, where he was selected by the Ravens with the 12th pick. The 6’ 4” 340-pound Ngata went on to become known as a fearsome run stuffer, making five Pro Bowls while earning two All-Pro nominations in 13 years.

The younger Ngata, an outside linebacker, is a part of Oregon’s talented 2027 recruiting class, which is headlined by multiple standout defensive players.

Gunner Rivers
NFL pedigree: Philip Rivers’s son
College football status: QB, committed to NC State, Class of 2027

Quarterbacking runs in the Rivers family as well, as the son of former eight-time Pro Bowler Philip Rivers in February committed to play for the Wolfpack, his father’s alma mater. Once upon a time, before he was a prolific starting signal-caller in the NFL, Rivers was a gunslinger at NC State, throwing for the second-most passing yards in the country while finishing seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting back in 2003.

Rivers, on the heels of a 44-touchdown, five-interception season for St. Michael Catholic High School, has something to strive for at NC State: his father’s program-record 13,848 career passing yards.

Cooper Witten
NFL pedigree: Jason Witten’s son
College football status: OLB, committed to Oklahoma, Class of 2027

It shouldn’t be surprising that Cooper Witten committed to Oklahoma, seeing as his announcement came less than two months after the program had hired his father Jason to be the school’s tight ends coach.

And while Cooper, a four-star outside linebacker, isn’t going to follow in his father’s footsteps at the tight end spot, he will benefit from any football tutelage the elder Witten, who churned out 11 Pro Bowl seasons in 17 seasons for the Cowboys and Raiders, dishes out.

Duece Jones-Drew
NFL pedigree: Maurice Jones-Drew’s son
College football status: RB, committed to UCLA, Class of 2027

The elder Jones-Drew spent three seasons at UCLA and was on the 2005 squad that produced one of the program’s nine double-digit win seasons all-time. Then, he earned three Pro Bowl nods while racking up 8,167 rushing yards and 68 touchdowns in nine seasons.

The younger Jones-Drew will be arriving at UCLA at an exciting time with new coach Bob Chesney at the helm. And he’ll have lofty goals to strive for, such as his father’s single-game program record of 322 rushing yards back in 2004, or his father’s 2,503 career rushing yards with the Bruins.

Charles Woodson Jr.
NFL pedigree: Charles Woodson’s son
College football status: DB, committed to Michigan, Class of 2027

What a full-circle moment for Wolverines fans. The elder Woodson starred at Michigan for three seasons, becoming the first and only primary defender to win the Heisman Trophy back in 1997.

Now, the younger Woodson, a four-star defensive back who on Friday committed to Michigan, will look to continue his father’s legacy with the program, which is entering a new era under first-year coach Kyle Whittingham, just as the program was entering a new era under first-year coach Lloyd Carr when the elder Woodson arrived in 1995.

And here’s one more bonus name for good measure.

Dez Bryant Jr.
NFL pedigree: Dez Bryant’s son
College football status: N/A, wide receiver at Southlake Carroll High School

The son of former three-time Pro Bowler Dez Bryant, Bryant Jr. already has multiple Power 4 schools lining up for his services in the Class of 2028, as he’s received offer from Kentucky, Texas A&M and SMU.

Listed at 5’10” and 165 pounds, Bryant ran a 4.46 40-yard dash and posted a 9’2” broad jump at the Under Armour Next Camp in March. His father, while clearly proud of his son, gave him some tough love coaching on social media.

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