Peyton Manning played at Tennessee from 1994-1997, where he was a Heisman running-up in 1997.
The best of the NFL square off on Jan. 24 in the AFC and NFC championship games. But before they were pros, these players fought on the collegiate gridiron for a plethora of different schools. Per our complete list from opening day NFL rosters, here are which colleges produced the best NFL talent from the championship teams:
Arizona Cardinals
• Four Clemson players, including kicker Chandler Catanzaro, wide receiver Jaron Brown, running back Andre Ellington and safety Chris Clemons.
• Three USC players, including a pair of quarterbacks in starter Carson Palmer and backup Matt Barkley.
• Three LSU defensive players, including cornerback Patrick Peterson and linebacker Kevin Minter.
Carolina Panthers
• Four Ohio State players, including wide receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Philly Brown, offensive lineman Andrew Norwell and safety Kurt Coleman.
• Five players who went to Oregon schools: three from Oregon State and two from Oregon.
Denver Broncos
• Three players from Colorado State, three from Florida and three from Tennessee -- which is quarterback Peyton Manning's alma mater.
New England Patriots
• Five players from Rutgers, all from the defensive side of the ball, led by defensive backs Devin McCourty and Logan Ryan.
Here is the full breakdown:
