LSU, Alabama Lead NFL In Cap Dollars By College

Alabama won the national championship this year, but LSU has them beat in another category. More salary cap dollars in the NFL are being spent on Tigers alum than any other school in the country, according to Over The Cap.

Former LSU players are set to take in a total of $160.37MM NFL dollars this year, thanks in part to top earners such as Jarvis Landry, Patrick Peterson, Andrew Whitworth, Michael Brockers, and Odell Beckham Jr. Alabama – a group that includes Julio Jones, Marcell Dareus, Mark Barron, Dre Kirkpatrick, and Kareem Jackson – is not far behind at $157.12MM.

Here’s the rundown of the Top 25, according to OTC:

Rk. College # of players Cap Dollars
1 LSU 61 $160,369,274
2 Alabama 60 $157,122,963
3 USC 48 $151,068,123
4 Georgia 44 $149,165,318
5 Ohio State 53 $130,270,159
6 Miami 50 $128,288,740
7 California 33 $126,843,410
8 Florida State 50 $121,923,570
9 Florida 51 $118,224,071
10 Oklahoma 38 $105,483,720
11 Stanford 36 $100,104,655
12 Wisconsin 32 $95,928,735
13 Clemson 42 $90,882,721
14 Michigan State 28 $90,363,894
15 Notre Dame 38 $88,797,566
16 South Carolina 28 $88,350,715
17 Texas A&M 33 $85,645,140
18 Iowa 33 $82,139,839
19 Tennessee 38 $79,788,631
20 Penn State 40 $75,628,782
21 Oregon 33 $73,695,597
22 Mississippi State 25 $71,898,567
23 Michigan 36 $71,787,690
24 Mississippi 28 $71,757,391
25 Nebraska 33 $66,999,307

There has been some movement on this list since 2017. In September of last year, Georgia led the way thanks to the big money contracts of Justin Houston, Cordy Glenn, Matthew Stafford, A.J. Green, Geno Atkins, and Thomas Davis. After that, USC, Alabama, LSU, and Cal rounded out the top five.

The list may also change between now and the start of the 2018 season. For example, if the Falcons give Jones the contract enhancement he’s seeking, Alabama could easily regain the top spot.

OTC also has the breakdown of cap dollars spent per FBS conference. As expected, the SEC leads the way with nearly $1.2 billion spent on its former players. After that, it’s the Big Ten ($834.41MM), Pac-12 ($796.4MM), ACC ($789.6MM), Big 12 ($419.21MM), The American ($299.85MM), Mountain West ($231.81MM), Mid-American ($190.55MM), Conference USA ($154.3MM), the Independents ($130.37MM, led by Notre Dame), and the Sun Belt ($96.34MM). Players from outside of the FBS fall somewhere in the middle, with a total of $643.31MM.

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