Some college football players enter the NFL with a large fan base.

Peyton Manning was one of these. If you asked Tennessee football fans who their favorite NFL team is, their answer would be the Indianapolis Colts, and then later the Denver Broncos. They followed their favorite son. But his brother Eli did not garner this same attention from Ole Miss fans.

Virginia Tech fans were Atlanta Falcons enthusiasts because of Michael Vick. Every Florida fan became obsessed with the Broncos when Tim Tebow was drafted in the first round. That became their NFL team.

That doesn’t always happen. Cam Newton won the Heisman Trophy and just about every other offensive award, plus captured a National Championship for Auburn, yet outside of the city limits, few Auburn alums wore Carolina Panthers gear, n

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