Colleges That Produce the Most NFL Players
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Some colleges excel at producing Fortune 500 CEOs. Others create politicians. And some make NFL players.
It’s no surprise the schools that dominate on Saturdays see their alumni playing on Sundays.
These colleges have produced the most NFL players, and they have a track record of success on the gridiron.
29. Cal — 282 Players (Tie)
NFL Hall of Famers: 2
NFL Pro Bowl selections: 111
Highest AV in NFL: Aaron Rodgers (163)
Most touchdowns in NFL: Tony Gonzalez (111)
Most games played in NFL: Tony Gonzalez (270)
Bottom line: The California Golden Bears have been playing football since 1916. Over those 100-plus years, they have won two national championships (1920 and 1922) and produced many pro players.
Three legendary Cal stars are quarterback Aaron Rodgers, tight end Tony Gonzalez and running back Marshawn Lynch. Before making life miserable for NFL defenses, they were doing the same to opponents in college.
Note: All figures are NFL stats for players. They are from Pro Football Reference and through the 2022 NFL season. AV refers to approximate value and is PFR’s attempt to quantify a player’s career value. The higher the AV, the greater the career he had.
29. Arkansas — 282 Players (Tie)
NFL Hall of Famers: 3
NFL Pro Bowl selections: 56
Highest AV in NFL: Dan Hampton (102)
Most touchdowns in NFL: Lance Alworth (87)
Most games played in NFL: Jason Peters (238)
Bottom line: Arkansas has a great football tradition. While the Razorbacks are no longer the class of the tough SEC, they have won 14 conference championships in program history and brought home a national championship to Fayetteville in 1964.
Arkansas has sent almost 300 players to the NFL. Three of those Razorbackers became Hall of Famers: wide receiver Lance Alworth, defensive lineman Dan Hampton and free safety Steve Atwater. Arkansas football also produced Jerry Jones, Hall of Fame owner of the Dallas Cowboys, and Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer, two Super Bowl-winning coaches in Dallas.
Jones was a Razorback starter at offensive guard and co-captain when the team won the national title. Johnson was on that same Arkansas team in 1964 and played defensive end during his college days. Switzer was a center, linebacker, and captain of the 1959 team that won the Southwest Conference and Gator Bowl.
How ’bout them Cowboys? How ’bout them Hogs?
28. Oregon — 284 Players
NFL Hall of Famers: 6
NFL Pro Bowl selections: 86
Highest AV in NFL: Dan Fouts (123)
Most touchdowns in NFL: LeGarrette Blount (58)
Most games played in NFL: George Martin (201)
Bottom line: Oregon won a Rose Bowl in their first season in 1916. The Ducks didn’t win another “Granddaddy” until 2011, when Chip Kelly and his high-flying offense beat Wisconsin 45-38. Kelly never got the program to the promised land, and Oregon still is searching for its first national championship. But the Ducks have had a lot of talent over the years.
The captain of Oregon’s all-time NFL team is Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts, a third-round pick (No. 64 overall) of the San Diego Chargers in the 1973 NFL draft. Quarterbacks taken ahead of Fouts that year include Bert Jones (Baltimore Colts), Gary Huff (Chicago Bears), Ron Jaworski (Los Angeles Rams), Gary Keithley (St. Louis Cardinals) and Joe Ferguson (Buffalo Bills).
That’s why they call scouting an inexact science.
27. Purdue — 301 Players
NFL Hall of Famers: 3
NFL Pro Bowl selections: 158
Highest AV in NFL: Drew Brees (167)
Most touchdowns in NFL: Mike Alstott (71)
Most games played in NFL: Drew Brees (287)
Bottom line: Purdue is one of the oldest college football programs. The Boilermakers started playing football in 1892 and have sent big names to the NFL.
None are bigger than Drew Brees, who threw for 80,358 yards in his NFL career, more yards than any other quarterback in NFL history. Brees also won a Super Bowl (XLIV), was Super Bowl MVP, a 13-time Pro Bowler and a one-time All-Pro. A bust is waiting for Brees in Canton.
Rod Woodson already has a gold jacket and is the greatest Purdue football alum not named Brees. But that is debatable. He might be No. 1. After starring at Snider High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Woodson stayed close to home and became an All-American for the Boilermakers. Then he starred for the Steelers, Ravens, 49ers and Raiders in the NFL. Woodson has a Super Bowl ring, 71 career interceptions, 11 Pro Bowls and six All-Pro honors.
Brees or Woodson at the top of the Purdue football alumni depth chart? You make the call.