We collected data on each player to Never appear on an active NFL roster and determined the most NFL players by college.
Did you know that over 25,000 players have participated in an NFL game?
Here are the most 2023 NFL players by college according to the NFL’s Week 1 53-man rosters. For the seventh straight season, the University of Alabama has the most players in the league.
NFL Players by College – 2023
| SCHOOL | PLAYERS |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 57 |
| state of ohio | 47 |
| Georgia | 46 |
| LSU | 43 |
| Michigan | 38 |
| our Lady | 39 |
| Clemson | 37 |
| Florida | 34 |
| State of Pennsylvania | 33 |
| Oklahoma | 32 |
| Texas | 30 |
| Iowa | 29 |
| Auburn | 28 |
| U.S.C. | 26 |
| Oregon | 25 |
| Stanford | 25 |
| Washington | 25 |
| Mississippi | 24 |
| Texas A&M | 23 |
| Wisconsin | 23 |
| Miami The U | 22 |
| UCLA | 22 |
| Tennessee | 21 |
| TCU | 21 |
(Related: List of all NFL teams | NBA players by college)
NFL Players by College – 2022 (as of NFL Week 1)
For the sixth straight season, Alabama had the most players or tied for the most (58) on the NFL Kickoff Weekend active roster. The Crimson Tide also placed the most active NFL players on season-opening rosters in 2018 (44), 2019 (56), 2020 (53) and 2021 (54), and shared the lead in the league in 2017 (39).
| SCHOOL | PLAYERS |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 58 |
| LSU | 52 |
| state of ohio | 52 |
| Georgia | 44 |
| our Lady | 37 |
| State of Pennsylvania | 35 |
| Florida | 33 |
| Michigan | 33 |
| Oklahoma | 32 |
| Iowa | 31 |
| Clemson | 29 |
| Texas | 26 |
| Washington | 26 |
| Wisconsin | 26 |
| Auburn | 24 |
| Miami The U | 24 |
| UCLA | 24 |
| Caroline from the south | 23 |
| Stanford | 23 |
| Tennessee | 23 |
| Texas A&M | 23 |
NFL Players by College – 2021
| FBS SCHOOL | PLAYERS |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 53 |
| state of ohio | 47 |
| LSU | 43 |
| Georgia | 35 |
| our Lady | 34 |
| Clemson | 33 |
| Iowa | 33 |
| Florida | 32 |
| Michigan | 32 |
| Oklahoma | 31 |
| State of Pennsylvania | 31 |
| Texas | 26 |
| Miami (Florida) | 25 |
| UCLA | 24 |
| Washington | 24 |
| State of Florida | 23 |
| Texas A&M | 23 |
| U.S.C. | 23 |
| Stanford | 22 |
| Caroline from the south | 21 |
| Wisconsin | 21 |
| Auburn | 20 |
| Mississippi State | 19 |
| Oregon | 19 |
| NC State | 18 |
| Temple | 18 |
| Utah | 18 |
| Missouri | 17 |
| Nebraska | 17 |
| Tennessee | 17 |
| Pittsburgh | 16 |
| Virginia Tech | 16 |
| Arkansas | 15 |
| Boston College | 15 |
| Oklahoma State | 15 |
| Kentucky | 14 |
| TCU | 14 |
| Baylor | 13 |
| North Carolina | 13 |
| Ole Mademoiselle | 12 |
| Rutgers | 12 |
| Texas Technology | 12 |
| California | 11 |
| Colorado | 11 |
| Duke | 11 |
| Houston | 11 |
| Illinois | 11 |
| Maryland | 11 |
| Memphis | 11 |
| Oregon State | 11 |
| Purdue | 11 |
| Vanderbilt | 11 |
| West Virginia | 11 |
| Boise State | ten |
| Louisville | ten |
| Michigan State | ten |
| Minnesota | ten |
| UCF | ten |
| Virginia | ten |
| Kansas State | 9 |
| EMS | 9 |
| Western Michigan | 9 |
| Arizona State | 8 |
| BYU | 8 |
| Cincinnati | 8 |
| Indiana | 8 |
| North West | 8 |
| State of Utah | 8 |
| Arizona | 7 |
| Central Michigan | 7 |
| Florida Atlantic | 7 |
| Fresno State | 7 |
| Louisiana Technology | 7 |
| Syracuse | 7 |
| Toledo | 7 |
| Wyoming | 7 |
| Appalachian State | 6 |
| State of Colorado | 6 |
| South Georgia | 6 |
| Georgia Tech | 6 |
| Old Dominion | 6 |
| San Jose State | 6 |
| Tulane | 6 |
| Connecticut | 5 |
| Marshal | 5 |
| San Diego State | 5 |
| South Florida | 5 |
| Southern Mississippi | 5 |
| Waking up forest | 5 |
| Washington State | 5 |
| Western Kentucky | 5 |
| Buffalo | 4 |
| Kansas | 4 |
| Northern Illinois | 4 |
| Rice | 4 |
| East Carolina | 3 |
| Eastern Michigan | 3 |
| Iowa State | 3 |
| Massachusetts | 3 |
| Miami, Ohio | 3 |
| Middle Tennessee State | 3 |
| Nevada | 3 |
| North Texas | 3 |
| UEP | 3 |
| Arkansas State | 2 |
| Army | 2 |
| Ball Condition | 2 |
| Florida International | 2 |
| State of Georgia | 2 |
| Louisiana | 2 |
| Ohio | 2 |
| Troy | 2 |
| Tulsa | 2 |
| UAB | 2 |
| Akron | 1 |
| Bowling green | 1 |
| Coastal Carolina | 1 |
| Hawaii | 1 |
| Kent State | 1 |
| Marine | 1 |
| New Mexico | 1 |
| South Alabama | 1 |
| State of Texas | 1 |
| UNLV | 1 |
| UTSA | 1 |
For 2020, updated from week one and based on the 53-player roster, here are the top 10 colleges that produced the most NFL players:
| Alabama | 56 |
| state of ohio | 50 |
| LSU | 41 |
| Florida | 39 |
| Georgia | 32 |
| State of Pennsylvania | 32 |
| Oklahoma | 29 |
| Clemson | 29 |
| our Lady | 29 |
| Iowa, Florida State, Washington | 28 |
| Stanford, Texas A&M | 27 |
This study includes data points and insights for each franchise, as well as the league as a whole. Here are some points to remember:
– Notre Dame produced more NFL players than any other university, with 520 athletes set to play in the NFL.
– Notre Dame, USC, Ohio State and Oklahoma are the schools with the most NFL players in history and the only colleges to have produced more than 400 NFL players.
– Alabama leads the 2019 roster with 56 players. As for end-of-season 2018 numbers, Alabama also led the way with 53 players arriving in the NFL.
– In terms of players by decadethe NFL relied heavily on Midwest schools like Notre Dame and Minnesota in the 1950s and 1960s. The focus shifted west to USC in the 1970s and 1980s, before to settle into a varied approach that has seen schools from the Midwest, California and Southeast regularly top the NFL rosters over the past 30 years.
NFL Players by College – All-Time Overall Top 10
(As of 08/22/23)
1. Notre-Dame – 520
2. USC-516
3. Ohio State – 473
4. Oklahoma – 402
5.Michigan – 387
6.Alabama – 384
7. Penn State – 367
8. Florida – 364
9. Nebraska – 363
10. LSU – 359
Which college has the most NFL players – 2019
- Alabama – 53
- LSU – 51
- Ohio State – 46
- USC-44
- Miami – 43
- Florida – 43
- Florida State – 42
- Clemson – 37
- Tied – Penn State, Oklahoma, Auburn – 33
Finally, GCU broke down each player by position and school to determine which schools produced the most players at specific positions for each NFL team.
Using traditional offensive and defensive formations as a guide, they were able to create a unique starting lineup for college players. football teamsusing their logos as stand-ins.
Here is another area where the influence of Notre Dame is evident, as they are the best school in seven of 24 positions evaluated, including key positions such as quarterback and running back.
