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The SEC’s dominance of the last decade of college football has translated to the next level, as no conference in the FBS had more NFL alums this season than the SEC.
Nine of the conference’s 14 teams had at least 20 former stars playing in the NFL in 2014, and five had at least 30 alums starring at the pro level. Alabama and LSU each boasted 42 NFL stars apiece, more than Kentucky, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt combined.
Here’s a rundown of how many NFL stars began their careers at SEC schools, and a list of some of the SEC’s notable alums starring in the NFL this season:
| Team | No. of players | Noteables |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 42 | Julio Jones, Eddie Lacy, Dre Kirkpatrick, C.J. Mosley |
| Arkansas | 15 | Peyton Hillis, Darren McFadden, Jason Peters, Jarius Wright |
| Auburn | 27 | Cam Newton, Nick Fairley, Karlos Dansby, Ronnie Brown |
| Florida | 36 | Carlos Dunlap, Joe Haden, Percy Harvey, Maurkice Pouncey |
| Georgia | 39 | Matthew Stafford, Geno Atkins, A.J. Green, Knowshon Moreno |
| Kentucky | 14 | Randall Cobb, Stevie Johnson, Tim Masthay, Jacob Tamme |
| LSU | 42 | Odell Beckham Jr., Dwayne Bowe, Jeremy Hill, Patrick Peterson |
| Mississippi State | 15 | Fletcher Cox, Johnthan Banks, Darius Slay, K.J. Wright |
| Missouri | 22 | Aldon Smith, Jeremy Maclin, Ziggy Hood, Blaine Gabbert |
| Ole Miss | 19 | Eli Manning, Patrick Willis, Mike Wallace, Michael Oher |
| South Carolina | 28 | Alshon Jeffery, Jadeveon Clowney, John Abraham, Melvin Ingram |
| Tennesse | 31 | Peyton Manning, Arian Foster, Jason Witten, Jerod Mayo |
| Texas A&M | 25 | Johnny Manziel, Mike Evans, Ryan Tannehill, Von Miller |
| Vanderbilt | 11 | Jay Cutler, Jordan Matthews, Zac Stacy |
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
