Which College Football Program Had the Most Players Selected in the 2026 NFL Draft?

The 2026 NFL Draft saw some of college football's biggest programs pump out huge classes of talent.

The 2026 NFL Draft logo on the theater stage at Acrisure Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The 2026 NFL Draft saw 257 total picks made over the course of the past three days, with many of college football's biggest stars getting a chance to make their dreams come true.

While the players are obviously different every year, there are some trends that have recurred over the past decade. For instance, the SEC led the way in players drafted, setting a new record of 87, while the Big Ten came in second with 68. The two conferences that dominate the sport combined for 60.3% of the picks, as revealed by CBS Sports Brandon Marcello.

Although the SEC had the highest volume of players drafted, the individual schools that produced the most players were quite diverse.

Which program had the most players drafted?

The 2026 NFL Draft Theater stage at Acrisure Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The highest mark set in the draft was 11, set by the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ryan Day's program had four first-round picks, three of which were within the first 10 picks. The highest pick in the opening round was safety Caleb Downs, going to the Dallas Cowboys at pick No. 11. Ohio State pumping out this many pros is far from shocking, as the program is just one season removed from winning a title.

They are also one of college football's biggest spenders, with multiple reports confirming that their roster this past season cost around $35 million.

Two SEC programs tied for second most

The two programs that ended up tied for having 10 players drafted were the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Texas A&M Aggies. It was a tale of two seasons for these programs, as Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer underwhelmed in the eyes of Crimson Tide fans, but still kept up the tradition of producing pros.

Alabama had two players taken in the opening round, with Kadyn Proctor going No. 12 overall to the Miami Dolphins. Just one pick after him was quarterback Ty Simpson, who was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in one of the more shocking picks of the opening round.

As for the Aggies, 10 players drafted marked a program record. Mike Elko led the team to its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, and the program's best season since the Johnny Manziel days.

Other notable programs that pumped out pros

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The next three programs on the list that were just one shy of double-digit draft picks were the Clemson Tigers, Miami Hurricanes and Texas Tech Raiders. Of the six programs mentioned, Dabo Swinney's Clemson program was the only one not to make the College Football Playoff, which only adds to the confusion regarding how Clemson has fallen from the top of the sport.

The national champion Indiana Hoosiers had eight players taken, headlined by quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who went No. 1 overall. They were joined by Georgia and Penn State in having eight players selected.

Here is how the rest of the rankings shook out.

Most picks by school, 2026 NFL draft:

Ohio State - 11
Alabama - 10
Texas A&M - 10
Clemson - 9
Miami - 9
Texas Tech - 9
Georgia - 8
Indiana - 8
Penn State - 8
Florida - 7
Iowa - 7
LSU - 7
Oklahoma - 7
Oregon - 7
Washington - 7
Michigan - 6
Missouri - 6
Notre Dame - 6
Texas - 6…

— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) April 25, 2026