Two Top College Football Programs Produced the Most Active NFL Players

While many of the most notable power college football programs produced dozens of pros, two schools tied for the most.

Ryan Day's Ohio State Buckeyes tied for tops among college football programs in producing rostered NFL players with 61. (Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While a bevy of top college football programs take pride in producting NFL players, there's room for only two programs at the top of the list. According to sports data site Spotrac, while 57 different college programs have produced a dozen current NFL players, there are only two claimants to the top spot, with each school producing 61 currently rostered NFL players. Both schools have also produced around $450 million in current earnings for their active players.

Which schools pumped out the most pros?

The Ohio State Buckeyes are a less than shocking half of the tie atop the list of alums playing in the NFL. Among the multitude of top NFL standouts who called Ohio State home are Arizona Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Houston Texans QB CJ Stroud, and WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Many of the top players from the 2024-25 championship team are making major strides at the program's next level.

Kalen DeBoer's Alabama Crimson Tide tied for tops in producing current NFL players with 61. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The other school tying with 61 NFL alums is Alabama. The Crimson Tide cover a longer era with their dominance, as veterans like Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry and New York Jets DB Minkah Fitzpatrick pop up on the Alabama list. Relative newcomers like DB Patrick Surtain, LB Will Anderson and RB Jahmyr Gibbs also represent some of Alabama's top NFL standouts.

Other Top Schools

Ten schools have produced 40 current NFL players, including Big Ten members Penn State (40), Oregon (42), and Michigan (45). The SEC is represented in that top ten by Florida (42), Texas (46), LSU (49), and Georgia (57). The Bulldogs were the only other school to top 50 players aside from Ohio State and Alabama and as the Tide veterans age, Kirby Smart's Bulldogs may manage to lap Alabama.

Notre Dame (47, good for fifth) is the lone exception to the two major conferences' dominance in the NFL world. The top ACC school on the list is Clemson, with 34 NFL players, which is 13th best overall. The Big 12's top program in producing NFL players in TCU with 27 NFL players (which would rank 12th in the SEC).

The top spot in the non-Power 4 world is a convoluted tie. Tulane, Boise State, and North Dakota State have each produced 11 current NFL players. Given that the Bison are just moving to FBS, they were the standard bearer for FCS football in producing pro players.