Pictured: More than 3,000 student-athletes will be playing college football this fall having already earned their undergraduate degrees, including First Team All-Americans Steven Jones Jr. from Appalachian State (top left) and Riley Moss from Iowa (top center) and all-conference players Xavier Hutchinson from Iowa State (top right), Jordan McFadden from Clemson (bottom left), Bumper Pool from Arkansas (bottom center) and Cameron Rising from Utah (bottom right). (Photos by respective athletics departments)
UPDATED 08/29/2022 at 12:15 p.m. to include additional graduates from Purdue and Florida A&M
UPDATED 08/25/2022 at 11:57 a.m. to include additional graduates from Delaware
UPDATED 08/24/2022 at 10:38 a.m. to include additional graduates from Austin Peay
IRVING, Texas (Aug. 24, 2022) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame today released a list of
3,113 student-athletes who have already earned their undergraduate degrees and will be playing college football this fall while pursuing additional diplomas. This season marks the fifth year the NFF has compiled the list of graduated players. Click the link above for the full list of graduates.
"As we celebrate our 75th anniversary in 2022, the National Football Foundation continues to take great pride in its role as a leading voice in the promotion of the scholar-athlete," said NFF Chairman
Archie Manning. "And highlighting the more than 3,000 student-athletes who have not only earned their undergraduate degrees but are now pursuing additional diplomas sends a powerful message about the doors that college football opens. These student-athletes have truly taken full advantage of the opportunities created by the game."
The NFF compiled the list with the help of sports information directors from all divisions of the NCAA and NAIA who identified the players on their 2022 fall rosters who have already earned their undergraduate degrees. A total of 261 schools responded, with an additional eight schools responded that they had no graduated players on their rosters.
The table below showcases the number of graduates playing college football each season since 2017. (Note: The NFF did not tally the number of graduates during the 2020 season.)
| YEAR |
GRADUATES |
SCHOOLS |
| 2022 |
3,113 |
261 |
| 2021 |
3,285 |
279 |
| 2019 |
1,452 |
251 |
| 2018 |
1,199 |
235 |
| 2017 |
971 |
213 |
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to all 2020 fall athletes. Many student-athletes have decided to take advantage of this, and they are returning to the field in 2022, leading to another high number of graduates this season.
The numbers include 1,841 players from 122 schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), 853 players from 70 schools in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), 262 players from 31 schools in Division II, 123 players from 30 schools in Division III and 34 players from eight schools in the NAIA.
Nebraska and New Haven (CT) led all schools across all levels of play with 26 graduates on each of their rosters for the 2022 season.
Nearly every FBS school that responded reported a double-digit number of graduates, with the following schools joining Nebraska (26) with at least 20: Liberty (23), Rice (23), Baylor (22), Eastern Michigan (22), Fresno State (22), North Texas (22), Pittsburgh (22), Texas State (22), UTSA (22), Akron (21), Hawai'i (21), James Madison (21), Kent State (21), Oregon (21), South Carolina (21), Southern Miss (21), East Carolina (20), Illinois (20), Kansas State (20), Michigan (20), Oregon State (20) and Toledo (20).
Chattanooga led all FCS schools that responded with 25 graduates on its roster. Other FCS schools with at least 15 include Southeastern Louisiana (23), Southern Illinois (23), Campbell (21), Towson (21), McNeese (20), Delaware (19), Montana (19), Portland State (19), Sam Houston (19), Duquesne (18), New Hampshire (18), Northern Colorado (17), Northern Iowa (17), Northwestern State (17), Sacred Heart (17), Weber State (17), Idaho (16), North Alabama (16), Stony Brook (16), William & Mary (16), Austin Peay (15), Indiana State (15), Montana State (15) and Sacramento State (15).
The following Division II programs that responded joined overall co-leader New Haven [CT] (26) with at least 10 graduates on their fall rosters: Henderson State [AR] (14), Wingate [NC] (14), Ashland [OH] (13), American International [MA] (12), California [PA] (12), West Florida (12), Colorado School of Mines (11), Concordia [MN] (11), Indianapolis [IN] (10) and Minnesota Duluth (10).
Johns Hopkins (MD) topped all the Division III programs that responded with 11 graduates on its football roster while Ottawa (KS) and Southeastern (FL) each had seven graduates to lead the NAIA respondents.
Publishing a list of the graduates playing college football is just one of the NFF's long list of initiatives designed to promote the scholar-athlete ideal, dating back to 1959 and the launch of the highly prestigious NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments. Other key components of the NFF efforts to promote the scholar-athlete ideal include The William V. Campbell Trophy®, the NFF Faculty Salutes presented by Fidelity Investments, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the NFF Team of Distinction and the NFF Hatchell Cup & the National High School Academic Excellence Awards.
About The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters in 47 states, NFF programs include the selection and induction of members of the College Football Hall of Fame; the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta; Future For Football; The William V. Campbell Trophy®; the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments; the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Award; and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Jostens, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the New York Athletic Club, the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.
