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Report: Ole Miss leads all schools in average NFL pay

Can you guess which college has, on average, the highest-paid players in the NFL? Alabama and LSU come to mind with their recent history of first-round draft picks. But according to a report from SportingIntelligence, which ranked the NFL’s top 35 earning groups from the 2014 season, the top school is Ole Miss.

That’s right. The Rebels currently have 18 former players in the NFL, and between them they make an average salary of $4.1 million per year. Second on the list is Virginia with a $3.4 million average annual salary for its former players.

Obviously, former Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning and his $19.8 million salary in 2014-2015 play a major role in the rankings, as does defensive end Greg Hardy, who made $13.1 million this past year. But it’s still somewhat surprising.

Here’s a look at some of the other SEC schools on the list.

  • 1. Ole Miss (18 players): $4.1 million

  • 8. Tennessee (28): $3 million

  • 9. Georgia (34): $2.7 million

  • 13. Texas A&M (19): $2.4 million

  • 14. Florida (31): $2.4 million

  • 15. Auburn (25): $2.3 million

  • 19. Alabama (36): $2.2 million

  • 21. Missouri (17): $2.1 million

  • 23. South Carolina (24): $2 million

  • 26. LSU (31): $1.9 million

  • 33. Arkansas (15): $1.4 million

As you can see, Alabama is middle of the pack as far as average salary goes, but the Crimson Tide led all teams with 36 former players in the NFL during the 2014 season.

You can read more about the report on ESPN.com and SI.com.