SALARYSPORT
★ 0
NFL · 24 CAREERS FROM ONE PROGRAMME

South Carolina NFL player earnings

$500,818,487 earned in the NFL by 24 players from South Carolina, led by Stephon Gilmore on $116,426,433.

That is 26th of the 253 colleges the file names, and 32nd of the 78 schools with 8 players or more on money per man. Nothing here is college money: it is what these men were paid once they reached the league, grouped by where they came from.

EARNED IN THE NFL $500.8m
PER PLAYER $20.9m
PLAYERS 24
IN THE LEAGUE NOW 8
FIRST ROUND PICKS 6

The richest South Carolina careers in the NFL

Money paid across a whole career

Stephon Gilmore $116.4m

Stephon Gilmore $116m Jadeveon Clowney $105m Deebo Samuel $82m Jaycee Horn $34m Hayden Hurst $29m Keisean Nixon $25m Javon Kinlaw $23m D.J. Wonnum $19m Xavier Legette $9.9m Cam Smith $7.0m Ernest Jones $6.6m Zacch Pickens $5.8m Chris Lammons $4.4m Rico Dowdle $4.3m Jovaughn Gwyn $3.9m Jalen Brooks $3.9m Kingsley Enagbare $3.9m Israel Mukuamu $3.6m Spencer Rattler $3.2m Marcellas Dial $3.0m

Stephon Gilmore alone holds 23.2% of everything South Carolina has earned in the league. 6 men of the 19 with a round on record went in the first, and they have earned $52.7m a career against $10.2m for everybody else.

Every South Carolina player ranked by NFL earnings

Money paid, and what is still contracted

24 careers

# Player Position Franchise Seasons Contracted Career earnings
001 Stephon Gilmore Cornerback Minnesota Vikings 14 $116,426,433$116.4m
002 Jadeveon Clowney Outside Linebacker Carolina Panthers 12 $105,057,740$105.1m
003 Deebo Samuel Wide Receiver San Francisco 49ers 7 $82,043,002$82.0m
004 Jaycee Horn Cornerback Carolina Panthers 5 $33,584,146$33.6m
005 Hayden Hurst Tight End Los Angeles Chargers 7 $28,784,536$28.8m
006 Keisean Nixon Cornerback Green Bay Packers 8 $25,251,103$25.3m
007 Javon Kinlaw Defensive Tackle New York Jets 5 $22,738,692$22.7m
008 D.J. Wonnum Outside Linebacker Carolina Panthers 6 $18,551,433$18.6m
009 Xavier Legette Wide Receiver Carolina Panthers 4 $2.5m $9,877,106$9.9m
010 Cam Smith Cornerback Miami Dolphins 4 $7,028,423$7.0m
011 Ernest Jones Inside Linebacker Tennessee Titans 4 $6,589,236$6.6m
012 Zacch Pickens Defensive Tackle Chicago Bears 4 $5,763,790$5.8m
013 Chris Lammons Cornerback Indianapolis Colts 8 $4,361,307$4.4m
014 Rico Dowdle Running Back Dallas Cowboys 5 $4,278,838$4.3m
015 Jovaughn Gwyn Center Atlanta Falcons 4 $3,946,620$3.9m
016 Jalen Brooks Wide Receiver Dallas Cowboys 4 $3,922,360$3.9m
017 Kingsley Enagbare Defensive End Green Bay Packers 4 $3,902,552$3.9m
018 Israel Mukuamu Cornerback Dallas Cowboys 4 $3,610,708$3.6m
019 Spencer Rattler Quarterback New Orleans Saints 4 $1.2m $3,166,480$3.2m
020 Marcellas Dial Cornerback New England Patriots 4 $1.2m $3,042,128$3.0m
021 Nate Adkins Tight End Denver Broncos 3 $2,705,000$2.7m
022 Nick Muse Tight End Minnesota Vikings 3 $2,385,267$2.4m
023 Darius Rush Cornerback Pittsburgh Steelers 4 $1,987,980$2.0m
024 Adam Prentice Fullback New Orleans Saints 4 $1,813,607$1.8m

The table holds every one of the 24 careers the programme has put into the league. Money still written into a future season is in its own column and is not counted in the career figure beside it.

What South Carolina produces

NFL earnings of its alumni, by position

11 positions

Cornerback $195m Outside Linebacker $124m Wide Receiver $96m Tight End $34m Defensive Tackle $29m Inside Linebacker $6.6m Running Back $4.3m Center $3.9m Defensive End $3.9m Quarterback $3.2m Fullback $1.8m

Cornerback is where the programme's NFL money is, $195,292,228 across 8 players. Every position is ranked across the league here.

Where South Carolina players are drafted

Career earnings by the round they went in

19 with a round on record

Round Players Per career Earned
Round 1 6 $52.7m $316,468,653$316.5m
Round 2 2 $44.5m $89,071,425$89.1m
Round 3 2 $6.2m $12,353,026$12.4m
Round 4 1 $18.6m $18,551,433$18.6m
Round 5 3 $3.0m $9,057,012$9.1m
Round 6 2 $3.3m $6,652,836$6.7m
Round 7 3 $3.4m $10,254,247$10.3m

6 men of the 19 with a round on record went in the first, and they have earned $52.7m a career against $10.2m for everybody else. The whole draft is ranked here.

Where the South Carolina alumni are now

The franchises holding them, and what those careers are worth

16 franchises

# Franchise Players Career earnings
01 Carolina Panthers 4 $167,070,425$167.1m
02 Minnesota Vikings 2 $118,811,700$118.8m
03 San Francisco 49ers 1 $82,043,002$82.0m
04 Green Bay Packers 2 $29,153,655$29.2m
05 Los Angeles Chargers 1 $28,784,536$28.8m
06 New York Jets 1 $22,738,692$22.7m
07 Dallas Cowboys 3 $11,811,906$11.8m
08 Miami Dolphins 1 $7,028,423$7.0m
09 Tennessee Titans 1 $6,589,236$6.6m
10 Chicago Bears 1 $5,763,790$5.8m
11 New Orleans Saints 2 $4,980,087$5.0m
12 Indianapolis Colts 1 $4,361,307$4.4m
13 Atlanta Falcons 1 $3,946,620$3.9m
14 New England Patriots 1 $3,042,128$3.0m
15 Denver Broncos 1 $2,705,000$2.7m
16 Pittsburgh Steelers 1 $1,987,980$2.0m

What South Carolina alumni are paid each season

Every year of every career, added together

Peak in 2024

2024 is the programme's biggest year on record at $94,139,102 across 24 players. The whole 2024 payroll is ranked by player here.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the highest paid NFL player from South Carolina?

Stephon Gilmore, $116,426,433, a first-round pick in 2012, 10th overall. Jadeveon Clowney is second on $105,057,740.

How much have South Carolina players earned in the NFL?

$500,818,487 across 24 careers, which is 26th of the 253 colleges on record and 32nd of the 78 schools with 8 players or more on money per man.

Which position does South Carolina send to the NFL?

Cornerback more than any other on money, $195,292,228 across 8 players. The programme has put men into 11 positions in all.

How many South Carolina players are in the NFL now?

8 men of the 24 here was on a roster in 2026, with $4,860,070 written into contracts for seasons not yet played.

Which NFL team has the most South Carolina players?

Carolina Panthers, 4 players worth $167,070,425 between them.

Where to next

The schools either side of this one, and the rest of the money

Washington · North Carolina State · California-Los Angeles · Fresno State · Texas · Boston College · Virginia Tech · Louisville · Every college · NFL career earnings

South Carolina in the NFL

Colleges near this one

By season

Elsewhere in American football