Which College Produces the Most NFL Players in 2026? Alabama Leads Again?

Alabama leads all colleges in NFL player representation heading into Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season.

According to USA TODAY’s analysis of NFL.com roster data collected on September 9, 2026, 202 colleges are represented across the 32 active NFL rosters. The analysis covers 1,689 players who had a college listed.

Alabama leads the country with 57 players on NFL active rosters. Ohio State follows closely with 56 players, while Georgia ranks third with 53.

Top Colleges With the Most NFL Players in 2026

The 2026 NFL college rankings show a strong presence from some of the biggest programs in college football.

The top 10 schools are:

1. Alabama, 57 players
2. Ohio State, 56
3. Georgia, 53
4. LSU, 44
5. Texas, 42
6. Michigan, 40
7. Notre Dame, 40
8. Florida, 37
9. Oregon, 36
10. Penn State, 36

Oklahoma follows with 32 NFL players, while Iowa has 31. Clemson has 30, Miami has 28, and Texas A&M and USC each have 27.

Mississippi rounds out the next group with 26 players.

South Dakota State is the top FCS program with six players on NFL active rosters.

Alabama Continues Its NFL Talent Dominance

Alabama has built one of the strongest pipelines from college football to the NFL.

If the Crimson Tide remains No. 1 through Week 1, Alabama will have finished with the most or tied for the most NFL players for 10 consecutive seasons.

Recent totals include:

2025: Alabama, 60 players. Ohio State, 56

2024: Alabama, 61 players

2023: Alabama, 57 players

Alabama currently has 57 players in 2026, giving the program a one-player advantage over Ohio State.

Where NFL Players Went to College

The 202 colleges represented on NFL active rosters come from 48 U.S. states.

Alaska and Vermont are the only states without a college represented in the 2026 NFL roster count.

Two Canadian universities also have players on NFL active rosters.

David Onyemata represents the University of Manitoba with the New York Jets, while Theo Benedet represents the University of British Columbia with the Chicago Bears.

Texas has the largest number of represented colleges, with 16 schools.

California follows with 11 schools. Ohio and North Carolina each have 10.

FBS, FCS and Lower-Division Representation

The 202 colleges represented on NFL rosters come from multiple levels of college football.

127 schools are FBS programs.

49 schools are FCS programs.

26 schools come from Division II, lower divisions or non-NCAA programs.

Eleven current FBS schools have no players on active NFL rosters. Those schools include Army, Northern Illinois and UAB.

Fewer Colleges Represented in 2026

The number of colleges represented on NFL active rosters has fallen compared with several recent seasons.

The NFL’s official Kickoff Weekend figures recorded:

2025: 233 schools

2024: 234 schools

2019 to 2021: At least 240 schools each season

The 2026 figure of 202 schools comes from USA TODAY’s analysis of NFL.com active rosters immediately before Week 1.

The historical figures come from the NFL’s official reports, while the 2026 figure uses USA TODAY’s roster analysis. Because the methodologies differ, the numbers may not be directly comparable.

Complete 2026 College NFL Player Rankings

57: Alabama

56: Ohio State

53: Georgia

44: LSU

42: Texas

40: Michigan, Notre Dame

37: Florida

36: Oregon, Penn State

32: Oklahoma

31: Iowa

30: Clemson

28: Miami

27: Texas A&M, USC

26: Mississippi

25: South Carolina

24: Auburn

23: Stanford, Washington

22: Missouri, Utah

21: Illinois, TCU, Tennessee

20: UCLA

19: Florida State

18: Indiana, Minnesota, Texas Tech, Wisconsin

17: Arkansas, N.C. State

16: Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina

15: Boston College, California, Mississippi State

14: Cincinnati, Iowa State, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse

13: Duke, Virginia Tech

12: Arizona, Michigan State

11: BYU, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest

10: Houston, Kansas State, North Dakota State, Oklahoma State, Rutgers, SMU, Tulane

9: Baylor, Boise State, Colorado, Washington State

8: West Virginia

7: Connecticut, Louisiana, Nebraska, Purdue, Toledo, UCF

6: Arizona State, Buffalo, Memphis, Oregon State, San Diego State, South Dakota State, Temple, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Western Michigan

5: Central Michigan, Fresno State, Kansas, Northwestern, Western Kentucky

4: Appalachian State, East Carolina, Eastern Washington, Florida Atlantic, Georgia State, Louisiana Tech, Navy, Northern Iowa, South Alabama, Troy, Tulsa, Wyoming

3: Bowling Green, Colorado State, Harvard, Idaho, James Madison, Marshall, Middle Tennessee State, Montana State, Nevada, Rice, Sam Houston State, South Dakota, Texas-El Paso, Utah State, Weber State, William & Mary

2: Air Force, Alcorn State, Arkansas State, Central Arkansas, Eastern Michigan, Florida A&M, Florida International, Georgia Southern, Hawaii, Holy Cross, Illinois State, Lenoir-Rhyne, Liberty, Miami (Ohio), Montana, Morgan State, San Jose State, Sioux Falls, South Carolina State, Southeast Missouri State, Southern Illinois, Southern Mississippi, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Texas-San Antonio, UMass, UNLV

1: Akron, Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Albany State (GA), Azusa Pacific, Ball State, Barton College, Brown, Cal Poly, Canisius, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Dayton, Delaware, Delta State, Drake, Duquesne, East Tennessee State, East Texas A&M, Ferris State, Findlay, Fort Hays State, Fort Valley State, Furman, Houston Christian, Indiana State, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Jackson State, Jacksonville State, Maine, Malone, Manitoba, Marist, Minnesota State Moorhead, Missouri Western, Murray State, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Northern Arizona, Penn, Princeton, Sacramento State, Sacred Heart, Saginaw Valley State, Shepherd, Southern Arkansas, St. John’s (MN), Tarleton State, Texas State, Tusculum, UC Davis, University of British Columbia, South Florida, VCU, Villanova, Washburn, Western Illinois, Wingate, Wisconsin-Whitewater, Yale, Youngstown State

How the 2026 NFL College Rankings Were Compiled

USA TODAY collected roster data from NFL.com on September 9, 2026, immediately before Week 1.

Only players listed with active roster status were included in the analysis.

College affiliations follow NFL.com listings, with names standardized where necessary. Four active players without a listed college were excluded from the totals.

School locations and football classifications were matched primarily through CollegeFootballData. Missing locations were geocoded using OpenStreetMap.

Historical figures from 2019 through 2025 come from the NFL’s official Kickoff Weekend reports. Those figures may not be fully comparable with the 2026 count because of differences in methodology.

Which College Has the Most NFL Players in 2026?

Alabama has the most NFL players in 2026, with 57 players on active rosters.

Ohio State ranks second with 56, while Georgia is third with 53. LSU and Texas complete the top five with 44 and 42 players, respectively.

The rankings show the continued impact of major college football programs on the NFL talent pipeline. Alabama’s lead also puts the Crimson Tide in position to continue its long run as the college with the most NFL players.