Record-Breaking List of 3,675 Graduates Playing College Football This Season
College football opens the door for players to earn additional diplomas.
IRVING, Texas (Sept. 3, 2025) – For the eighth year, the National Football Foundation has released its annual list of current student-athletes at all levels of the game who have already earned their undergraduate degrees, underscoring the game’s commitment to academic achievement and reinforcing the belief that football develops leaders.
By the Numbers:
• 3,675 players take the field with diplomas in hand
• 302 schools report graduates competing on the field this season
• FBS schools average 16 graduates each, with 2,245 total FBS athletes
• Every FBS team boasts a graduate*
• Every division of college football showcases graduates
• Northwestern and Virginia lead the nation with 34 graduates each
• Tennessee Tech sets FCS high mark with 32-degree holders
• 121 FBS schools report a double-digit number of graduates on their rosters
• The list includes 81 players who have been nominated for the Campbell Trophy® either in 2024 or 2025.
*excludes service academies, who do not offer graduate programs
“This is proof that education remains at the heart of college football and that the game continues to shape leaders beyond the field, something we should celebrate just as much as the competition itself,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. The NFF compiled this list with the help of sports information directors from all divisions of the NCAA and NAIA who identified the players on their 2025 fall rosters who have already earned their undergraduate degrees. 302 schools submitted their information for inclusion.
The annual list of graduates playing college football is part of the NFF’s long-standing commitment to celebrating the scholar-athlete ideal, a tradition that began in 1959 with the launch of the prestigious NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards. Today, that commitment continues through signature initiatives such as The William V. Campbell Trophy®, the NFF Faculty Salutes presented by Fidelity Investments, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the NFF Team of Distinction, the NFF Hatchell Cup presented by Bob’s Steak & Chop House, and the National High School Academic Excellence Awards presented by the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation.
