A Look at Where Football Players Went to College | CollegeXpress

Articles & Advice > College Athletics > Blog

Silhouettes of two football players both jumping for ball in bright stadium

A Look at Where Pro Football Players Went to College

Do you know where your favorite athletes went to college? Check out these five big-name football players and their higher education alma maters.

by
CollegeXpress Student Writer

Last Updated: Aug 12, 2024

Originally Posted: Apr 3, 2021

Bookmark

While we may view our favorite pro athletes as gifted and talented, many of them went to college just like millions of other civilians. Whether they started at community college like Philadelphia Eagle’s cornerback Darius Slay Jr. or attended a top-notch university on a full-ride scholarship like Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool, these phenomenal athletes didn’t just put in the work at the gym and on the field—they started by putting school first. Here’s a look at five amazing athletes’ careers and their alma maters.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts: The University of Alabama and the University of Oklahoma

Drafted as the53rd pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft, Jalen Hurts had every Sooners fan on their feet during the 2019 season playing for the University of Oklahoma. But he started off his football career majoring in Communication at the University of Alabama from 2016–2018 before transferring to Oklahoma in 2019. Hurts was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles and signed a $6 million, four-year contract. As of right now, he’s the new starting quarterback for the Eagles, replacing Carson Wentz, who played four seasons on a $128 million contract.

Related: A Look at the Biggest College Athletic Conferences for Football

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb: The University of Oklahoma

You’ve probably heard of CeeDee Lamb, arguably the top steal of the 2020 wide receiver’s class. Lamb was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys as the 17th overall pick of the season. He majored in Communication and played football all four years of college at the University of Oklahoma—including one season with Jalen Hurts. Lamb proved to have the greatest hands, especially for a rookie, with 74 catches for 934 yards. As of today, he’s one of the Cowboys’ lead receivers and has a four-year, $14 million contract.

Linebacker TJ Watt: The University of Wisconsin

The last name Watt might seem very familiar—TJ Watt is the younger brother of JJ and Derek Watt. TJ has quickly made a name for himself in the NFL, being voted to represent the American Football Conference (AFC) in the Pro Bowl for three seasons in a row as well as being named the AFC Defensive Player of the Year in 2020. He played football for the University of Wisconsin and majored in Retailing & Consumer Behavior. For the 2020 season, TJ had the most sacks with 15, as well as 43 tackles, two forced fumbles, and one interception. He was drafted in 2017 and had a four-year, $9 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the NFL’s greatest defense teams.

Related: The Ultimate Guide to Tailgating in College

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs: The University of Maryland

Stefon Diggs played football for three seasons at the University of Maryland from 2012–2014 while majoring in American Studies. He entered the 2015 NFL draft and was picked up by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round as the 146th pick, though he now plays for the Buffalo Bills. Diggs has made the playoffs, lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the conference championships, and averages $15.9 million per year. According to ESPN, he can run 23 miles per hour.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger: Miami University

As a Steelers fan, I personally consider Ben Roesthlisberger—Big Ben—to be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, along with Drew Brees. He graduated from Miami University with a bachelor’s degree in Education. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the 11th overall pick and is currently the last actively playing quarterback of the 2004 Miami U class. Roethlisberger has won two Super Bowls in his career: Super Bowl XL (2006) and XLII (2009). In the 2020 season, he had a winning streak of 11–0 before it was broken by the Washington Football Team. Roethlisberger’s seasonal rates for the 2020–2021 season include 3,803 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.

Related: 4 Focused College Search Tips for Student-Athletes

Every pro athlete has their own story. Each of these stars started playing college football and worked hard by training any chance they got. But they made it big by choosing to do more than just throw all their effort into sports; they chose the school where they felt the most comfortable, one they felt would bring out the best in them every time they stepped onto the field. You can follow in the footsteps of these great athletes by choosing the college or university with the best academics, sports, and health benefits for you—a school that makes you feel at home. 

Want to read more about football? We have a ton of great blogs, articles, and lists about sports in our College Athletics section! 

Sources

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:
athletics college athletics football football players sports student-athletes

← Previous Post

Next Post →

About B. Juda

B. Juda is just a random 15-year-old kid with a passion for writing and helping others. B. likes cooking but not baking (if that makes sense) and is the only Steelers fan in Kansas City.

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.

Waynesburg University

Waynesburg, PA

Yes, connect me!

Monica

Monica

High School Class of 2023

Being a sophomore in high school, I never really worried about college. I thought it wasn't important to worry about until senior year. Through this program opportunity I came across, I realized how important it is to start looking at colleges early and start planning ahead. CollegeXpress has opened my eyes to what colleges require, what colleges are near me, and what they offer. The daily emails I get from CollegeXpress really help me look at the different options I have and what colleges I fit into. Without this website, I would not be taking the time out of my day to worry about what my future will be nor what opportunities I have. I could not be more grateful for such an amazing and useful website. It's thanks to CollegeXpress that not only me but my family now know how much potential I have in to getting into these colleges/universities that we thought were out of my reach.

Sonny Harris

Sonny Harris

College Student

For the entire year before college, I spent a lot of time deeply considering what major I wanted to go into and how to fund my higher education. After a lot of research, I came across CollegeXpress, which helped me ultimately find a ton of scholarships for which I could apply—and some of which I received! If it weren’t for CollegeXpress, I may not have found those scholarships as they didn't appear on any other scholarship search forum. Additionally, I learned more about the options I had been considering for my major through CollegeXpress’s resources. In the end, I chose to major in Computer Science, as it seemed best suited to me and the careers in the field seemed enjoyable, and I've never been more excited to move into my future! Ultimately, I want to thank CollegeXpress for offering their services. I received enough financial aid in scholarships to fund my entire freshman year of college and even got some money refunded which I used to purchase a new laptop, and I bought all of the books I needed for the semester!

Joseph Johnsly

Joseph Johnsly

High School Class of 2021

It's an honor for me to be writing to share a little about my experience with CollegeXpress. I've been using CollegeXpress for about a year now, and the reason why I chose it is because it provides astonishing scholarships for every student around the globe. Besides that, this organization dispenses all the information necessary to help students get to college. CollegeXpress has helped me have an easier experience with applying to colleges and choosing the best fit for myself.

Courtney Smith

Courtney Smith

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress has been a huge help! The website is very organized with finding the right scholarship for anyone and anything. With CollegeXpress, I've been able to find many scholarship opportunities to apply for. Not only that, I'm also able to search for the colleges I have interest in and see what’s required and what scholarships they offer. I've learned a lot from CollegeXpress. They've helped me in many ways to achieve my goals!

Kory Gilbertson

Kory Gilbertson

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress has helped me explore my views on college in that "why do I wanna go to a certain school" way. It’s helped me explore the best fits in all of these outstanding choices. All these college admission counselors can access my accolades showing them how I could help their college. This source of information helps me show these admission directors who I am and what I'm interested in. Thanks to this platform, my experience for education will be better than most, and I'm so grateful for all that it has provided for me.

previous testimonial previous testimonial
X
Sign Up for Emails From CollegeXpress

I would like to receive updates and offers from CollegeXpress via email. I understand that I can withdraw this consent anytime by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in the email. By subscribing, I agree to the Carnegie Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.