There are different ways to measure success in any walk of life, and college football is no different. For example, the University of Alabama has won more than 900 games in its history, along with 27 conference championships. Ohio State has had fewer wins, but 11 more championships.
Which counts for more out of those stats is something you can argue over at your leisure, but there’s one other stat that’s potentially even more important. Every college footballer dreams of achieving NFL glory, so perhaps that is the measure we should use for college greatness. Here, we’ll have a look at the all time top five, while also assessing whether in 2019, they are still the force they have traditionally been.
5th – Nebraska (346)
The Cornhuskers have one of the most dedicated followings in college football, having sold out every home game since 1963. They’ve also been a consistently reliable contributor of NFL talent, having nurtured three Heisman Trophy winners as well as famous names like Dave Rimington, Rich Glover and others. Yet this season, the sports betting odds were long on the Cornhuskers having any meaningful shot at CFP glory almost from the outset, and only 26 of the current crop of NFL players are from Nebraska, placing the college outside the top 10 for 2019/20.
4th – Penn State (359)
No surprise here, Penn State has produced some legends of the game, including Curt Warner, Kerry Collins and Paul Posluszny. At present, Penn State has 33 alumni on the NFL rosters. The university is considered one of the founding fathers of football, with a history that dates back to the 1880s. But in recent decades, the victories have not come as regularly as they did in the latter part of the 20th century.
3rd – Ohio State (426)
At risk of mixing our sports, here we have the first of the consistent big hitters. Ohio State is both third in the all time list and the current list with 46 active NFL players. The Columbus university has a total enrollment of more than 60,000 students and an impeccable record in producing star athletes including Pro Bowl Hall of Famer Orlando Pace and legendary Bengals quarterback Archie Griffin. This is one college that continues to be as relevant today as ever.
2nd – Southern California (479)
USC has produced more Hall of Fame players than any other college and is the second most prolific source of NFL players ever. The college has a reputation for quality as well as quantity. Junior Seau, Ronnie Lott, Marcus Allen and, of course, the most famous of them all, OJ Simpson were all from USC. This year, the college is fourth on the list with 44 current players.
1st – Notre Dame (495)
The most famous college of them all has also produced the most pro footballers. Yet times have changed, and while Notre Dame still makes the top ten, the NFL is not so reliant on midwestern colleges for its talent as it was in the 1950s and 60s. Still, with alumni like Joe Montana, Paul Hornung and Brady Quinn, Notre Dame’s place in NFL history is assured.
