PRINCETON, N.J. -- Twenty-two Ivies earned National Football League (NFL) roster spots entering the 2019 season, including 17 that will don NFL uniforms during the league’s opening weekend as part of their team’s 53-man active rosters.
Harvard paces all Ivies—and all Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) programs—with eight alumni on NFL active rosters:
Cameron Brate (Tampa Bay Buccaneers),
Ben Braunecker (Chicago Bears),
Nick Easton (New Orleans Saints),
Anthony Firkser (Tennessee Titans),
Ryan Fitzpatrick (Miami Dolphins),
Kyle Juszczyk (San Francisco 49ers),
Tyler Ott (Seattle Seahawks) and
Adam Redmond (Dallas Cowboys).
Fitzpatrick—who is entering his 15th season in the league—is the elder statesman among the Ivies in the NFL.
Brown, Penn, Princeton and Yale join Harvard in claiming multiple alumni on NFL opening weekend rosters. The Bears boast a pair of multi-time Super Bowl champions in
Zak DeOssie (New York Giants) and
James Develin (New England Patriots).
Brandon Copeland (New York Jets),
Greg Van Roten (Carolina Panthers) and
Justin Watson (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) represent the Quakers.
Princeton’s quintet includes three rookies from the 2018 team that completed the 13th undefeated season in Ivy League history en route to the Tigers’ first outright League crown since 1995—
Stephen Carlson (Cleveland Browns),
Jesper Horsted (Chicago Bears) and
John Lovett (Kansas City Chiefs).
Carlson and Horsted will begin the season on their respective team’s 10-man practice squads, while Lovett will remain on the injured reserve list and be sidelined for the entirety of the 2019 season due to a separated shoulder during the preseason.
Seth DeValve (Jacksonville Jaguars) and
Charles Kanoff (Detroit Lions) are the veterans among the Princeton contingent, with DeValve on the Jaguars active roster and Kanoff on the Lions 10-man practice squad.
The Yale duo of
Jaeden Graham (Atlanta Falcons) and
Foye Oluokun (Atlanta Falcons) give the Bulldogs an alumnus on each side of the ball for the Atlanta Falcons. Oluokun earned seven starts as a rookie, while Graham is still searching for his first regular-season action after spending the entirety of the 2018 campaign on the Falcons practice squad.
Columbia’s
Josh Martin (New Orleans Saints) and Cornell’s
JC Tretter (Cleveland Browns) round out the 17 Ivies on NFL active rosters.
Ivy League football alumni dot 14-of-32 NFL active rosters. Five teams claim multiple Ivies heading into the opening weekend of the 2019 season: Atlanta Falcons (2), Chicago Bears (2), Cleveland Browns (2), New Orleans Saints (2) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2).
Twenty-four Ivies appeared on NFL rosters during the 2018 season, with
Juszczyk earning his third-straight Pro Bowl nod and
Develin becoming the first Ivy to win three Super Bowls as a player.
The 2019 NFL regular season commences on Thursday, September 5, when the Green Bay Packers visit the Chicago Bears.
The 2019 Ivy League football season kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 21, with
seven games to appear on ESPN linear networks throughout the season. The Ivy League is coming off a 2018 campaign in which it led the FCS in non-conference winning percentage (.750) and NFL representation (24 players) for the second-straight season.
Brown
Zak DeOssie – New York Giants (LS, 13th year)
James Develin – New England Patriots (FB, 7th year)
Columbia
Josh Martin – New Orleans Saints (LB, 7th year)
Cornell
JC Tretter – Cleveland Browns (OL, 7th year)
Harvard
Cameron Brate – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (TE, 5th year)
Ben Braunecker – Chicago Bears (TE, 4th year)
Nick Easton – New Orleans Saints (OL, 5th year)
Anthony Firkser – Tennessee Titans (TE, 3rd year)
Ryan Fitzpatrick – Miami Dolphins (QB, 15th year)
Kyle Juszczyk – San Francisco 49ers (FB, 7th year)
Tyler Ott – Seattle Seahawks (LS, 5th year)
Adam Redmond – Dallas Cowboys (OL, 3rd year)
Penn
^ Brandon Copeland – New York Jets (LB, 5th year)
Greg Van Roten – Carolina Panthers (OL, 5th year)
Justin Watson – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (WR, 2nd year)
Princeton
* Stephen Carlson – Cleveland Browns (TE, Rookie)
Seth DeValve – Jacksonville Jaguars (TE, 4th year)
* Jesper Horsted – Chicago Bears (TE, Rookie)
* Charles Kanoff – Detroit Lions (QB, 2nd year)
^ John Lovett – Kansas City Chiefs (FB/TE, Rookie)
Yale
Jaeden Graham – Atlanta Falcons (TE, 2nd year)
Foye Oluokun – Atlanta Falcons (LB, 2nd year)
^ Reserve
* Practice Squad