Like father, like son: Notable 2022 college football players with NFL dads
Father’s Day is Sunday, so this is a good time to celebrate both fathers and sons. Here are 13 college football players expected to play important roles for their teams this season who have NFL dads.
By no means is this an all-inclusive list, but chances are you will hear a lot about each of the 13 players this fall. As for the dads? Well, seven were first-round picks, four are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and another will be in about five years.
Notre Dame OT Joe Alt
The father: Former NFL OT John Alt. He starred at Iowa and was a first-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1984. Alt played 13 seasons for the Chiefs and was a 10-year starter at left tackle. He was a two-time Pro Bowler.
The son: Joe Alt took advantage of injuries at left tackle last season to play his way into the starting lineup as a true freshman, and now is entrenched at that spot. His brother, Mark, played hockey at Minnesota and now is with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings.
Washington LB Carson Bruener
NFL dad: TE Mark Bruener. He was a standout at Washington and a first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1995. Bruener played 14 NFL seasons – nine with Pittsburgh, five with Houston – and was a 10-year starter.
The son: As with Alt, Carson Bruener took advantage of his opportunity when injuries struck others last season and has the look of a future All-Pac-12 guy. Bruener, now a redshirt sophomore, was second on the team with 70 tackles despite starting just five games.
North Carolina WR Josh Downs
NFL dad: RB Gary Downs. Downs was a 1,600-yard rusher in his NC State career, then was a third-round pick of the New York Giants in 1994. He played six seasons in the NFL – two with the Giants, one with Denver and three with Atlanta.
The son: Josh Downs is one of the most talented receivers in the nation. He had 101 receptions for 1,335 yards and eight TDs last season. Downs’ numbers seem likely to dip a bit without QB Sam Howell, but he’ll still be dangerous. Also of note: Downs’ uncle is former UNC and NFL CB Dre’ Bly.
Southern Miss RB Frank Gore Jr.
NFL dad: Frank Gore. Gore grew up in Miami and starred for the hometown Hurricanes. He was a third-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in the 2005 draft and retired following last season as the No. 3 rusher in NFL history, with exactly 16,000 yards. He had nine 1,000-yard seasons and was a five-time Pro Bowl selection. (Gore also is the future Hall-of-Famer we mentioned in the intro.)
The son: Southern Miss’ offense was a mess last season – the top two quarterbacks were lost for the season with injuries before September was over – and near the end of the season, the Golden Eagles basically resorted to a Wildcat attack. Still, Frank Gore Jr. rushed for 801 yards and five TDs; with the quarterback situation more settled this season and the line in a better place, he could be a 1,000-yard guy this season.
Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
NFL dad: WR Marvin Harrison. Harrison left Syracuse as the school’s career leader in receiving yards (he’s now second) and was a first-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in the 1996 draft. He and Peyton Manning formed a lethal passing combo, with Harrison playing 13 seasons with the Colts. Harrison is fifth in NFL history with 1,102 receptions, ninth in receiving yards (14,580) and fifth in TD receptions (128). He was a three-time first-team All-Pro and was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
The son: Marvin Harrison Jr. had his coming-out party in the Rose Bowl. He had five receptions in the regular season, then had six catches for 71 yards and three TDs against Utah in Pasadena. Harrison is expected to be a productive complement to Jaxon Smith-Njigba this season.
Boston College C Drew Kendall
NFL dad: G Pete Kendall. After starring at Boston College, Kendall was a first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 1996. He played 13 seasons in the NFL – five with Seattle, three each with Arizona and the New York Jets and two with Washington. Kendall was a starter for all 13 seasons (11 at guard, two at center). Kendall was known for his durability: He started each of the final 188 games of his career, covering 12 seasons.
The son: After redshirting last season, Drew Kendall had a good spring and is expected to start at center for BC. He will be one of four new starters up front for the Eagles. BC has good skill-position talent, so if the line holds up, the offense should be good.
Colorado State QB Clay Millen
NFL dad: QB Hugh Millen. Millen was a standout at Washington and was a third-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams in the 1986 draft. He played eight NFL seasons and was the fulltime starter for one of them, with the 1991 New England Patriots. He also played for the Rams, Atlanta and Denver.
The son: Clay Millen, a redshirt freshman, followed coach Jay Norvell from Nevada to Colorado State. Millen has a good arm, and his knowledge of the offense means he could put up big numbers (like 3,000-plus passing yards) this season.
Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.
NFL dad: LB Joey Porter. He played at Colorado State and was a third-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1999 draft. Porter played 13 NFL seasons – eight with Pittsburgh, three with Miami and two with Arizona. He was a fulltime starter for 11 seasons; he was a first-team All-Pro pick once and a second-teamer three times. Porter was The Associated Press co-defensive player of the year in 2008 with Miami, when he had 17.5 sacks. He had 124 career tackles for loss, which is 22nd in NFL history.
The son: Joey Porter Jr. is heading into his third season as a starter and is coming off a year in which he earned third-team All-Big Ten acclaim from league coaches. He should vie for first-team all-league honors this season. Porter (6 feet 2, 200 pounds) is good in run support, not surprising considering his dad’s physicality.
USC WR Brenden Rice
NFL dad: WR Jerry Rice. Rice was a standout at pass-happy Mississippi Valley State for coach Archie “Gunslinger” Cooley, and teamed with QB Willie “Satellite” Totten to put up big numbers for the Division I-AA Delta Devils. He was a first-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in the 1985 draft and played 20 NFL seasons. Rice was a 10-time first-team All-Pro and is No. 1 in NFL history in receptions (1,549), receiving yards (22,895) and TD receptions (197). He entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
The son: Brenden Rice was Colorado’s top wide receiver last season but moved on to USC via the transfer portal. He had 21 receptions for 299 yards and three TDs last season. While he would’ve been the go-to guy for the Buffs, he will be part of a deep receiving group at USC and figures to be a rotation piece.
Jackson State QB Shedeur Sanders
NFL dad: CB Deion Sanders. “Neon Deion” was an All-America CB at Florida State and was a first-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 1989 draft. Sanders played 14 seasons in the NFL and was a six-time first-team All-Pro selection. He is second in NFL history with 19 non-offensive TDs and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
The son: Shedeur Sanders is coming off a strong true freshman campaign playing for his dad. He threw for 3,231 yards and 30 TDs, completing 65.9 percent of his passes, as Jackson State won its first SWAC title since 2007. He had two streaks of 100-plus pass attempts without an interception.
California LB Jackson Sirmon
NFL dad: LB Peter Sirmon. He starred at Oregon and was a fourth-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2000 draft. He played six seasons in the NFL, all with the Titans, and was a four-year starter. He’s currently the defensive coordinator at Cal.
The son: Jackson Sirmon led Washington in tackles last season with 92, then entered the transfer portal. He chose Cal and will play for his dad. Sirmon was a two-year starter for the Huskies and earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors last season.
Stanford RB E.J. Smith
NFL dad: RB Emmitt Smith. Smith was a standout at all three levels – he was a mega-recruit out of Pensacola (Fla.) Escambia, a college All-American at Florida and is the NFL’s leading career rusher. He was a first-round pick of Dallas in 1990 and played 15 NFL seasons (13 with Dallas, two with Arizona). He had 11 1,000-yard seasons, four times led the league in rushing and was a four-time All-Pro. Smith finished with 18,355 rushing yards and also is No. 1 in NFL history with 164 rushing touchdowns. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
The son: Stanford lost its top two rushers to the transfer portal, and E.J. Smith looks to be the lead back for the Cardinal this season. He has rushed for 133 yards and caught 18 passes in his first two seasons. Stanford returns all five starters along the offensive line, and the hope is that quintet can help revive a running game that has gone into hiding.
West Virginia DT Dante Stills
NFL dad: DE Gary Stills. He was a standout at West Virginia and went in the third round of the 1999 draft to the Kansas City Chiefs. Stills played 10 years in the NFL – seven with Kansas City, two with Baltimore and one with the St Louis Rams – and made the Pro Bowl in 2003 with the Chiefs.
The son: Dante Stills is coming off an excellent 2021 season, when he had 36 tackles, a team-high seven sacks and a team-high 15 tackles for loss. He was a first-team All-Big 12 pick and surprised more than a few people by returning for a fifth season. He has 42.5 career tackles for loss, the most of any current player.
And one more …
This is a grandfather/grandson duo: Michigan walk-on quarterback Jesse Madden is the grandson of John Madden, the Pro Football Hall of Fame coach who is both a broadcasting and video-game icon. Jesse went to high school in Oakland (extremely apropos) and is the son of Mike Madden, a former Harvard football player.