Most popular colleges on the Bengals’ roster

NFL teams seem to have certain colleges they consistently look back to when adding talent. With the Bengals specifically, the team spreads its roster around surprisingly well. It is rare to see the Bengals have more than two players from the same college. Considering how many options and colleges there are it shouldn’t be shocking, but when you think about how small the Bengals’ scouting department is, it is kind of interesting how much ground they cover.

Here are the most represented colleges on the Bengals roster.

Florida State: 3

Florida State only recently got the extra love from Cincinnati. The Bengals acquired all three of their FSU players within the past two seasons. Kermit Whitfield spent time on the practice squad last season. This year the Bengals signed offensive tackle Bobby Hart and drafted receiver Auden Tate in the seventh round. None of these players have impacted the Bengals so far, but news out of minicamp was pretty positive for Tate.

Ohio State: 3

Ohio State saw a huge uptick this season. The Bengals kicked it off by drafting center Billy Price 21st overall, and then drafting defensive end Sam Hubbard in the third round. They then picked up linebacker Chris Worley as an undrafted free agent. Cincinnati is expecting big things from Price and Hubbard, and maybe that will lead to the Bengals taking advantage of their in-state pipeline of talent more often.

Texas: 3

Texas saw their number increase three when the Bengals drafted linebacker Malik Jefferson. The other two out of Texas are offensive linemen Trey Hopkins and Kent Perkins. Perkins was activated off the practice squad late last season due to injuries, and Hopkins is the incumbent starter at right guard. Jefferson has some polishing off to do before he can become a starter himself, but the talent is there.

Texas A&M: 3

Texas A&M may want to enjoy this position while it lasts. It is possible they could have very few representatives remaining at this time next season. The most notable player out of Texas A&M is Cedric Ogbuehi who is in a contract year. He has been a bust since coming to Cincinnati as a first round pick in 2015, and if things don’t change this year he won’t be back in 2019. Running back Tra Carson is standing on unstable ground after the Bengals drafted Mark Walton in the fourth round. The team already has Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard at running back as well. Randy Bullock is the final Hook ‘em representation and he will likely be engaged in a kicking battle with Jon Brown. It is unlikely Bullock loses his job this year, but anything could happen.

Georgia: 5

It is one thing to have a lot of players from one college on an NFL team, but it is another thing to have a group of players of this caliber. The Bengals’ newest addition from Georgia is Cordy Glenn at left tackle. He was involved in the Bengals’ trade with the Bills to move back from 12 to 21 in the first round of the draft. He is joining his former college line-mate Clint Boling. Boling has become the rock of a struggling offensive line for the past couple of seasons, and it is hard to imagine last season without him. Shawn Williams also has Georgia to thank for his start. He’s carved out a nice role with the team after being drafted in the third round in 2013.

A team would kill to get just those three from one college, but we haven’t even talked about the best players to come from Georgia on the Bengals’ roster. A.J. Green and Geno Atkins both came from Georgia. The best player on each side of the ball came from the same school. Each one is considered one of the best at their position, and they should both be with the Bengals for many more years. Both Green and Atkins are foundation pieces that help carry each unit, and we have Georgia to thank for that.

Other schools with multiple Bengals representation:

Arizona State: 2, Auburn: 2, Cincinnati: 2, Illinois: 2, Louisville: 2, Mississippi: 2, UNC: 2, Oklahoma: 2, Rutgers: 2, USC: 2, Wisconsin: 2