ATLANTA – New research found that University of Georgia ranks in the top 10 United States colleges producing the most NFL athletes. 

Release:

• University of Notre Dame takes the top spot, producing 630 NFL athletes to date, of which 45 are active. 

• University of Southern California (USC) is second, with 568 NFL players attending the school before beginning their career. 

• Ohio State University follows in third, with 540 alumni athletes. 

The University of Notre Dame has produced the most NFL players of all time according to a new study, with 630 athletes having attended the school. 

Higher education research group, DegreeChoices, examined data from Pro Football Reference to discover where the highest number of NFL players attended college in the US. 

Rank	University/College	No. of NFL athletes that attended
1.	University of Notre Dame	630
2.	University of Southern California	568
3.	Ohio State University	540
4.	University of Michigan	473
5.	University of Alabama	444
6.	Pennsylvania State University	443
7.	Louisiana State University	435
8.	University of Oklahoma	424
9.	University of Georgia	422
10.	University of Nebraska-Lincoln	404
11.	University of Florida	399
12.	University of Miami	397
13.	University of Tennessee	391
14.	UCLA	379
15.	University of Texas at Austin	377
16.	Pittsburgh University	370
17.	Texas A&M University	364
18.	University of Wisconsin-Madison	363
19.	Michigan State University	357
20.	University of Washington	351

The University of Notre Dame in Indiana topped the study, with the school producing the most NFL athletes – an impressive 630 in total, which includes 45 players that are still active. The NFL alumni of the university have played a total of 30,506 games, with the retired New Orleans Saints player, John Carney playing the most at 302.  

The University of Southern California follows next, which has produced 568 NFL athletes, including 32 currently active players. Former students that attended USC have played a total of 29,562 games in the NFL, with retired Houston Oiler and Tennessee Titan, Bruce Matthews accounting for 296 of these. 

Ohio State University takes the third spot, producing 540 players, of whom 65 are currently active. Students from the school have played 27,616 NFL games, with Minnesota Vikings legend Jim Marshall playing in 282 of these. 

The University of Michigan is in fourth position, with the institution producing 473 NFL athletes, of whom 55 are still active. NFL stars who attended the University of Michigan have played a total of 22,232 games, with recently retired GOAT-contender Tom Brady playing the most at 335. 

In fifth place is the University of Alabama, which has produced 444 players in the NFL, including 81 athletes that currently play. The NFL alumni of the university have played a total of 21,867 games, with retired Atlanta Falcons punter, Chris Mohr, accounting for 239 of these. 

Closely following in sixth is Pennsylvania State University, with the school producing 443 NFL athletes, of which 48 still play. Students that attended Penn State have played 23,824 games in the NFL, with recently retired San Francisco 49ers kicker, Robbie Gould, accounting for 266 of these. 

Louisiana State University takes seventh spot, producing 435 NFL players, which includes 66 active athletes. NFL stars who attended LSU have played a total of 22,564 games, with former New York Jets and Tennessee Titans center, Kevin Mawae competing the most at 241 games. 

Ranking eighth is the University of Oklahoma, with 424 NFL athletes attending the school, of which 41 currently play. Former alumni at this institution have played a total of 18,664 NFL games, with retired Miami Dolphins’, Keith Traylor, accounting for 229 of these. 

Following in ninth position is the University of Georgia, which has produced 422 players in the NFL, with 61 currently competing. Athletes that attended the school have played a total of 20,042 games, with the retired Carolina Panthers’ player John Kasay accounting for the most at 301. 

Completing the top ten list is the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with the institution producing 404 players. Former NFL athletes have competed in a total of 19,869 games, with retired Baltimore Ravens player, Sam Koch partaking in 256 of these. 

David Levy, Author at DegreeChoices, commented on the findings:  

“Discovering the US colleges that have produced the most NFL athletes provides a unique insight into the rich and proud sports culture at these schools, which clearly give students the opportunity to succeed in their talent. 

“Fans of the NFL may even feel even more connected to their favorite players if they share their alma mater. And students who are recruited to play football for these colleges not only have the opportunity to play in huge stadiums before thousands of passionate fans, but also stand a good chance of achieving the dream of playing football professionally as well.”