We've known for a while that Ohio State is one of the best schools for a student athlete to attend if they have aspirations of playing in the NFL. Now we have confirmation that Ohio State helps those student athletes with something just as important, *getting paid in the NFL*.
According to this (via /r/CFB), Ohio State is fifth among all colleges, with their 33 former players making a combined $85.3 million dollars. Miami (FL) led the way with 44 players making $102.1 million, followed by Michigan's 25 players making 98.5 million, a fact that I plan on conveniently ignoring for the rest of the article.
The Buckeyes were especially prolific for particular position groups. Ohio State is second among all NCAA schools for WR salaries, as seven Buckeyes are making $18 million dollars. The Buckeyes also lead the nation in salary for secondary personnel, with eight Buckeyes pulling in $27.8 million.
As a conference, the SEC leads the nation, with 266 players making a combined $576.2M. The Big Ten is third, also behind the ACC, at 204 players at $435.1M.
The results are skewed by perhaps a few outliers in various position groups (NCAA leader in salary for running backs? East Carolina!), but in the end, confirm what most fans already know. If you want to make the big bucks, the big schools typically give you the best chance. And there aren't many schools that can do better than Ohio State.