No college football program has produced more No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks than the University of Southern California.
The Trojans stand alone at the top of college football history with six top selections, a testament to the volume of elite talent that has passed through Southern Cal.
USC’s top picks span 56 years and include powerhouse running backs, a brash wide receiver whose memoir was titled “Just Give Me the Damn Ball” and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks.
The historic group cemented its status as draft royalty after leaving legendary legacies in Los Angeles.
Ron Yary, 1968
Offensive tackle Ron Yary became the first Trojan selected No. 1 overall when the Minnesota Vikings took him at the top of the 1968 NFL Draft.
Dominant in the trenches, Yary was a consensus All-American and won the 1967 Outland Trophy (nation’s best interior lineman) while helping anchor USC’s national championship team.
O.J. Simpson, 1969
One year after Yary made history, halfback O.J. Simpson heard his name called first by the Buffalo Bills in the 1969 NFL Draft.
Simpson put together one of the most-dominant individual seasons in college football history in 1968, capturing the Heisman Trophy after rushing for 1,709 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Ricky Bell, 1977
Eight years later, halfback Ricky Bell became USC’s third No. 1 overall pick when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him first in the 1977 NFL Draft.
A relentless power back, Bell finished as the Heisman runner-up in 1976 and left USC as the school’s all-time leading rusher at the time with 4,204 yards.
Keyshawn Johnson, 1996
Wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson became the fourth Trojan chosen No. 1 overall when the New York Jets selected him at the top of the 1996 NFL Draft.
A physically imposing wideout with no shortage of confidence, Johnson dominated the college ranks, capped by a 1995 season when he was named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year.
Carson Palmer, 2003
Quarterback Carson Palmer became USC’s fifth No. 1 overall pick when the Cincinnati Bengals chose him first in the 2003 NFL Draft.
Palmer helped revive the program’s national prominence, culminating in a senior campaign in 2002 when he won the Heisman after throwing for 3,942 yards and 33 touchdowns.
Caleb Williams, 2024
Two decades later, quarterback Caleb Williams became USC’s record-breaking sixth No. 1 overall pick when the Chicago Bears selected him first in the 2024 NFL Draft.
After following coach Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma to USC, Williams took the college football world by storm, capturing the 2022 Heisman with a 4,537-yard, 42-touchdown season.
The 19-program club
USC leads all schools with six No. 1 overall picks, most recently quarterback Caleb Williams in 2024.
Georgia, Notre Dame and Oklahoma each have five. Auburn and Stanford have four. LSU, Ohio State, Texas and Miami have three.
South Carolina shares the two-pick tier with Alabama, California, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee and Virginia Tech.
Here’s a look at the schools that have produced multiple No. 1 overall picks in the NFL Draft:
USC (6)
OT Ron Yary (1968), HB O.J. Simpson (1969), HB Ricky Bell (1977), WR Keyshawn Johnson (1996), QB Carson Palmer (2003), QB Caleb Williams (2024)
Georgia (5)
HB Frank Sinkwich (1943), HB Charley Trippi (1945), WR/DE Harry Babcock (1953), QB Matthew Stafford (2009), DE Travon Walker (2022)
Notre Dame (5)
QB Angelo Bertelli (1944), QB Frank Dancewicz (1946), WR/DE Leon Hart (1950), HB Paul Hornung (1957), DE Walt Patulski (1972)
Oklahoma (5)
DE Lee Roy Selmon (1976), HB Billy Sims (1980), QB Sam Bradford (2010), QB Baker Mayfield (2018), QB Kyler Murray (2019)
Auburn (4)
HB Tucker Frederickson (1965), HB Bo Jackson (1986), LB Aundray Bruce (1988), QB Cam Newton (2011)
Stanford (4)
QB Bobby Garrett (1954), QB Jim Plunkett (1971), QB John Elway (1983), QB Andrew Luck (2012)
LSU (3)
TE Billy Cannon (1960), QB JaMarcus Russell (2007), QB Joe Burrow (2020)
Miami (3)
QB Vinny Testaverde (1987), DL Russell Maryland (1991), QB Cam Ward (2025)
Ohio State (3)
LB Tom Cousineau (1979), DT Dan Wilkinson (1994), OT Orlando Pace (1997)
Texas (3)
LB Tommy Nobis (1966), HB Earl Campbell (1978), DE Kenneth Sims (1982)
Alabama (2)
HB Harry Gilmer (1948), QB Bryce Young (2023)
California (2)
QB Steve Bartkowski (1975), QB Jared Goff (2016)
Indiana (2)
FB Corbett Davis (1938), QB Fernando Mendoza (2026)
Michigan (2)
HB Tom Harmon (1941), OT Jake Long (2008)
Nebraska (2)
FB Sam Francis (1937), WR Irving Fryar (1984)
Penn State (2)
RB Ki-Jana Carter (1995), DE Courtney Brown (2000)
South Carolina (2)
RB George Rogers (1981), DE Jadeveon Clowney (2014)
Tennessee (2)
HB George Cafego (1940), Peyton Manning (1998)
Virginia Tech (2)
DE Bruce Smith (1985), QB Michael Vick (2001)
Mike Garbett is a content specialist working with McClatchy’s Content Innovation Lab.