From college to the pros

Many pro football athletes are stars today, but they had to work their way through college ranks, which also means they had to work hard off the field. While some colleges excel at producing CEOs or millionaires, these 10 colleges have the most NFL players on active rosters, according to NCAA data.

Updated Jan. 14, 2019: This slideshow has been updated to reflect ranks from the 2019 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings.

Auburn University

NFL players: 28

U.S. News rank: 115 (tie), National Universities

Learn more about Auburn University.

University of Georgia

NFL players: 28

U.S. News rank: 46 (tie), National Universities

Learn more about the University of Georgia.

Clemson University

NFL players: 29

U.S. News rank: 66 (tie), National Universities

Learn more about Clemson University.

University of Southern California

NFL players: 32

U.S. News rank: 22 (tie), National Universities

Learn more about the University of Southern California.

Florida State University

NFL players: 33

U.S. News rank: 70 (tie), National Universities

Learn more about Florida State University.

University of Miami

NFL players: 36

U.S. News rank: 53 (tie), National Universities

Learn more about the University of Miami.

Ohio State University--Columbus

NFL players: 36

U.S. News rank: 56 (tie), National Universities

Learn more about Ohio State University--Columbus.

University of Florida

NFL players: 38

U.S. News rank: 35 (tie), National Universities

Learn more about the University of Florida.

Louisiana State University--Baton Rouge

NFL players: 40

U.S. News rank: 140 (tie), National Universities

Learn more about Louisiana State University--Baton Rouge.

University of Alabama

NFL players: 44

U.S. News rank: 129 (tie), National Universities

Learn more about the University of Alabama.

Find your all-American college.

Get more information about how to choose a college, and check out the complete rankings of the Best Colleges to find the school that's best for you. For more advice and information on how to select a college, connect with U.S. News Education on Twitter and Facebook.

Colleges with the most NFL players

-- University of Alabama

-- Louisiana State University--Baton Rouge

-- University of Florida

-- Ohio State University--Columbus

-- University of Miami

-- Florida State University

-- University of Southern California

-- Clemson University

-- Auburn University

-- University of Georgia

Darian Somers is an associate social media editor at U.S. News. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at dsomers@usnews.com.