Oklahoma tops list of college football programs with most players in Super Bowl 58
While the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers prepare for their epic showdown in Super Bowl 58, there are 30 other teams that have put the 2023 NFL season behind them and are focused on what they can do to play on Super Sunday 2025.
A big part of that offseason roster construction formula is the NFL draft, and it should come as no surprise that the 49ers and Chiefs have hit on some selections in order to get to this point.
Patrick Mahomes is arguably the league's best player. However, in the 2017 draft, the Texas Tech quarterback was the No. 10 overall selection. He was the second quarterback selected (Mitchell Trubisky went No. 2 overall to the Chicago Bears) and was picked one spot behind wide receiver John Ross, who is now retired.
The 49ers' quarterback — Brock Purdy — was the last player picked in the 2022 NFL draft. He was the ninth quarterback taken in 2022, behind some passers you might have already forgotten about. Remember Matt Corral (third round, Carolina Panthers) or Chris Oladokun (seventh round, Pittsburgh Steelers)? Neither player has appeared in an NFL game; Corral is out of the NFL and Oladokun is now on the Chiefs' practice squad.
The players on the current active rosters for the 49ers and Chiefs hail from 67 different colleges and universities, ranging from FBS powerhouses such as Georgia and Michigan to Division III Saint John's (Minnesota).
It should come as no surprise that one of the top programs in recent years – Oklahoma – boasts the most players in Super Bowl 58. It should also come as no surprise that the SEC is the most represented college football conference (23 players to the Big Ten's 19).
It should come as a surprise that there are more players on the current active rosters for the Super Bowl 58 teams who were undrafted (18) than were first-round picks (15).
College football programs with most players in Super Bowl 58
1. Oklahoma: 6 players — Chiefs tight end Blake Bell, Chiefs center Creed Humphrey, Chiefs offensive tackle Wanya Morris, 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams, 49ers tight end Brayden Willis, Chiefs long snapper James Winchester
2. Georgia: 5 players — 49ers defensive lineman Robert Beal Jr., 49ers wide receiver Chris Conley, Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman, Chiefs defensive end Malik Herring, 49ers tight end Charlie Woerner
3 (tie). Florida: 4 players — Chiefs running back La'Mical Perine, Chiefs offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor, Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney, Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend
3 (tie). Michigan: 4 players — 49ers wide receiver Ronnie Bell, Chiefs defensive end Michael Danna, 49ers kicker Jake Moody, 49ers cornerback Ambry Thomas
5 (tie). Middle Tennessee State: 3 players — Chiefs linebacker Darius Harris, Chiefs wide receiver Richie James, 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward
5 (tie). Penn State: 3 players — 49ers safety Ji'Ayir Brown, 49ers defensive lineman Kevin Givens, Chiefs offensive tackle Donovan Smith
5 (tie). Rutgers: 3 players — 49ers defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day, Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco, 49ers safety Logan Ryan
5 (tie). TCU: 3 players — Chiefs offensive tackle Lucas Niang, 49ers offensive lineman Matt Pryor, 49ers linebacker Dee Winters
College and draft tidbits for Super Bowl 58 teams
➤ The round-by-round draft breakdown for the current active rosters for the 49ers and Chiefs goes like this: First round (15 players), second round (12 players), third round (15), fourth round (13), fifth round (14), sixth round (eight), seventh round (11). There are 18 undrafted players on the Super Bowl 58 rosters.
➤ The overall selections range from No. 2 overall (Nick Bosa by the 49ers in 2019 and Chase Young, now of 49ers, by Washington in 2020) to Mr. Irrelevant (Brock Purdy, No. 262 overall in 2022). Isiah Pacheco, the Chiefs' starting running back, was selected 11 spots before Purdy in that year's draft.
➤ Of the 18 undrafted players in Super Bowl 58, three (not counting specialists) are regular starters. All three of those players are on the 49ers: Center Jake Brendel, safety Tashaun Gipson and cornerback Charvarius Ward. Ward – who was a major contributor on the Chiefs' Super Bowl 54-winning team – was a Pro Bowl selection this season.
➤ The Chiefs and 49ers boast two of the NFL's best tight ends, but neither was highly rated going into their respective drafts. While Travis Kelce was a third-round pick in 2013 out of Cincinnati, George Kittle was selected in the fifth round of the 2017 draft. Kelce was the fifth tight end taken in his respective draft, behind Tyler Eifert, Zach Ertz, Gavin Escobar and Vance McDonald (who went to the 49ers). Eight tight ends were selected before Kittle: O.J. Howard, Evan Engram, David Njoku, Gerald Everett, Adam Shaheen, Jonnu Smith, Michael Roberts and Jake Butt (who went one selection before Kittle). Of the eight tight ends picked before Kittle, four are no longer in the NFL.
➤ Two of the backup quarterbacks in Super Bowl 58 were originally drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Chiefs' Blaine Gabbert was picked in the first round in the 2011 draft, while the 49ers' Brandon Allen was a sixth-round pick by Jacksonville in 2016. The 49ers' No. 2 quarterback, Sam Darnold, was the No. 3 overall pick by the New York Jets in the 2018 draft.
➤ Did you know that 49ers All-Pro fullback Kyle Juszczyk went to Harvard? Well, he's not the only Ivy Leaguer in Super Bowl 58. Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson played at Penn.
➤ The 49ers only made five selections in the 2020 NFL draft, but all five players are still with the team.
➤ In an upset of sorts, there are no Alabama players on the current active rosters for either the 49ers or Chiefs. Cameron Latu – a third-round pick by the 49ers in the 2023 NFL draft – landed on injured reserve before the start of the season, while former Crimson Tide defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs is on the Chiefs' practice squad. Buggs played the 2023 season with the Lions, making three starts and appearing in 10 games, but was released on Jan. 2, 2024. Shortly thereafter, Buggs landed on the Chiefs' practice squad.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Which college football program has most players in Super Bowl 2024?
