College Football to the NFL: Every college football player dreams of stepping onto the field at an iconic National Football League (NFL) stadium in front of thousands of adoring fans and being paid astronomical sums of money for playing the sport they love. For many, their football careers end after graduation, but for a select few, they make it into the big time and become NFL stars.
Some universities have a knack for producing football players who not only get selected by NFL franchises but go on to enjoy glistening careers and even become football Hall of Famer inductees. These are the top universities for having players drafted into the NFL; some may come as a surprise.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame Fighting Irish is one of the most prestigious college football teams of all time, with 11 claimed national titles and another 11 unclaimed national titles since its formation in 1887. Young football players travel far and wide to attend the university’s football program, from Washington State to New Hampshire, hoping to follow in the footsteps of some Fighting Irish legends.
Unsurprisingly, the Fighting Irish leads the way in terms of players drafted, with 525 since the NFL began drafting players in 1936 up to the start of the 2023 campaign. Twelve former Fighting Irish are now members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including the legendary San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Joe Montana.
More than 50 Fighting Irish play in the NFL today. Jarrett Patterson, Isaiah Foskey, and Michael Mayer were picked in 2023 and could make their professional debuts when the latest NFL regular season kicks off on September 7.
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans have given 523 players to the NFL and currently has 35 playing in American Football’s elite competition. Some 14 former Trojans are now Hall of Famers, including the controversial O.J. Simpson, who was a USC Trojan between 1967-68 before the Buffalo Bills selected him first overall in 1969. Simpson’s off-the-field issues are well-known, but he was a phenomenal running back before his life spiraled out of control in the mid-1990s.
The USC Trojans hold the record for sending the most quarterbacks (17) and wide receivers (40) to the NFL.
Understandably, due to both teams’ success on the field and in producing talented youngsters, USC has a fierce rivalry with Notre Dame, making for some interesting clashes on the football field.
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes have one of the most valuable football programs in the United States, one valued at approximately $2 billion. To put that figure into context, the Cincinnati Bengals, an established NFL franchise, are valued at $3.5 billion, so the Buckeyes’ $2 billion is impressive. That massive figure is down to the 486 Buckeyes turning professional and having more than 70 currently assigned to franchises in time for the 2023 NFL season.
Justin Fields is perhaps the hottest prospect the Buckeyes have developed. Fields was the Buckeyes’ quarterback in 2019-20 until the Chicago Bears selected him 11th overall in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The Bears wasted no time in handing Fields his debut, and he has so far played 27 games since 2021, racking up 4,112 yards and 24 touchdowns, all while rushing for 1,563 yards and scoring ten touchdowns. Fields is a superstar in the making.
Although only six Buckeyes were drafted in 2023, three went during the first round, taking the total number of first-round picks to 90, the most of any American college.
Oklahoma Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners are one of only four colleges to produce at least 400 NFL players; the other three are detailed above. 414 former Sooners turned professional. Some 50 former Sooners went as first-round picks, including six as the first overall pick, the highest honor for a drafted player.
Three of those number-one overall picks have come since 2010. Sam Bradford went to the then-St. Louis Rams, Baker Mayfield headed to the Cleveland Browns, while the Arizona Cardinals selected Kyler Murray. All three of those players starred at quarterback for the Sooners.
Surprisingly, despite the Sooners’ rich history, only Tommy McDonald and Lee Roy Selmon have gone on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines may rank fifth on this list, but they have some serious bragging rights over every other college. They have not won the most titles, nor have they got the most Hall of Famers. What they can shout about from the rooftops is the iconic Tom Brady is a former Wolverine.
Brady called time on one of the most illustrious football careers ever at the end of the 2022 NFL season. Brady’s career spanned 22 seasons, during which he started 333 games, threw 89,214 yards, and 649 touchdowns, all of which are NFL records. He also won the Super Bowl a record seven times and is 100% guaranteed a place in the game’s Hall of Fame.
Although Brady is arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, NFL teams did not think he would become such a megastar at the time of the 2000 NFL Draft. The New England Patriots took a punt on the young Brady, selecting him in the sixth round and 199th overall. The rest, as they say, is history.
Conclusion
Although a football player’s talent will ultimately shine through, it seems pretty obvious that some colleges develop and nurture their young stars better than others, and in such a way that it paves the way for untold riches and fame.
It should also be apparent that, as a football player, you do not need to achieve the Holy Grail of being the first overall pick or, indeed, selected in the first round because seven-time Super Bowl champion and global icon Tom Brady saw 198 other players picked before him in 2000.
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