Alabama extends streak for most players on NFL opening-weekend rosters
By Jyesha Nance
Published:
Alabama’s post-college football dominance continues to ripple through the NFL year after year. The NFL announced Thursday that for the ninth consecutive season, the Crimson Tide led all programs in producing the most players on active NFL kickoff Weekend rosters, with 60 former UA standouts earning spots in 2025.
Alabama‘s blueprint under former head coach Nick Saban has long emphasized not only winning championships but also developing players into NFL-ready talents. The numbers speak for themselves: Alabama has placed the most active NFL players on season-opening rosters nearly every year for the past decade. That includes 2018 (44), 2019 (56), 2020 (53), 2021 (54), 2022 (58), 2023 (57), 2024 (61), and now 2025 with 60. Even in 2017, when Alabama tied for the lead with 39, it was clear the Crimson Tide were setting the standard.
The most impressive thing to note about these numbers is the consistency. Alabama hasn’t just had a few standout draft classes-they’ve created a pipeline of NFL-ready athletes across every position group. From quarterbacks like Bryce Young, Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, and Jalen Hurts, to wideouts such as DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle, to defensive game-changers like Will Anderson Jr., Patrick Surtain II and Jihaad Campbell, and an electric kicker like Will Reichard, the Crimson Tide have left their mark at every level of the league.
