Among the first things you hear at freshman orientation is the list of notable people who came before you and walked the halls of your school. Using the Way-Too-Early Top 25 as our guide, we identified some of the most interesting alumni from each of the top 25 teams' institutions.
1. Duke Blue Devils: Drew Rosenhaus
The flamboyant sports agent's "next question" response to most of the questions at a news conference with former Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens demonstrated his calculated control of the message. That's why so many players hire the Duke Law graduate. Yes, Drew Rosenhaus, who became an agent when he was 22, cares about Drew Rosenhaus. (He wrote a book called "Next Question: An NFL Super Agent's Proven Game Plan For Business Success" after the Owens news conference went viral.) But he also fights for his players, even if that requires unorthodox tactics. Remember when he called Willis McGahee, who had recently suffered a knee injury, during the 2003 NFL draft so GMs would think McGahee was talking to multiple teams? -- Myron Medcalf
2. Villanova Wildcats: Don McLean
We're using the term "alum" expansively here: McLean attended Villanova for just a few months (he later earned a degree at Iona), but his brief stay in Philadelphia proved crucial to the development of a certain elliptical and allusive hymn to loss and alienation that you've probably sung loudly in group settings at closing time. You might even say something touched McLean deep inside one November day in 1963. Combined with the deaths years earlier of his father and, most famously, Buddy Holly, the tragedy that fall day sent the aspiring musician on a headlong flight from higher education. Believing music alone would save his mortal soul, McLean caught the last train for the coast (so to speak). The rest is history. -- John Gasaway
3. Kentucky Wildcats: John T. Scopes
He's no Ashley Judd, but then again, Judd's surname isn't linked to one of the most famous trials in American history. The name Scopes, Kentucky Class of 1924, is. At the ripe old age of 24, Scopes willingly served as the defendant against the state of Tennessee and admitted that he taught evolution as a substitute biology teacher, in direct violation of the state's Butler Act. Though represented by the famous Clarence Darrow, Scopes was found guilty -- many figured that was a foregone conclusion -- and fined $100, but the impact of the trial lived on for years and spurred the debate between creationism and evolution. -- Dana O'Neil
4. Kansas Jayhawks: Harold Arlin
If you've ever listened to a baseball or college football game on the radio or needed up-to-date breaking news, you might want to thank Arlin. He was one of the first, if not the first, full-time radio broadcasters. His first program announced the results of the 1920 presidential election (won by Warren G. Harding.) He also delved into sports broadcasts. -- C.L. Brown
5. Virginia Cavaliers: Edgar Allan Poe
The iconic Rotunda on the Charlottesville campus immediately brings university founder Thomas Jefferson to mind, but because the third president was the founder -- not a student at Virginia -- we'll go with Edgar Allan Poe. Poe attended one semester before dropping out because of a lack of financial resources. All in favor of the Cavs adopting the raven as their unofficial mascot? Better yet, why not use Alan Parsons Project's musical adaptation of the poem to intimidate opponents? -- Sam Strong
6. North Carolina Tar Heels: Stuart Scott
You could insert Michael Jordan into this slot, especially with his recent charitable work and statements on social issues. But the creator of "Boo-Yah!" and owner of a rare on-camera flare mimicked by a generation of broadcasters who now feel empowered to infuse reporting with hip-hop references and phrases is as interesting as any North Carolina alum. His career at ESPN is still celebrated, in proof of his impact following his death in 2015 at age 49. -- Medcalf
7. Oregon Ducks: Ty Burrell
In the late 1980s, Burrell was an obscure high school football prospect from Southern Oregon who was trying to decide whether to walk on with the Ducks. Faced with a decision between sports and theater, Burrell opted for the latter and -- in keeping with this piece's recurring theme -- never quite graduated from UO. Nevertheless, the school proudly claims him as one of its own, and Burrell popped up courtside in Anaheim as his beloved Ducks defeated Duke in the 2016 Sweet 16. Phil Dunphy's tastes might run more toward cheerleading and magic, but Burrell's devotion to the Oregon football and basketball families knows few modern equivalents. -- Gasaway
8. Wisconsin Badgers: Jim Lovell
We could go with Andy Katz here, but there's a small crater on the side of the moon named after Lovell, so he gets the edge. The commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13, Lovell spent two years at Wisconsin before transferring to the Naval Academy, but the school counts him as a distinguished alum. That's understandable, considering it was Lovell who quite literally steered his crew safely back to Earth after their 1970 mission suffered a catastrophic accident that robbed the vessel of all oxygen. Using his watch as a timer, Lovell essentially drove around the moon and back to Earth. He is one of only three men to go to the moon twice, yet he is the only one of those who never walked on it. -- O'Neil
9. Xavier Musketeers: Russell Goings Jr.
If not for a knee injury, Goings could have made his mark with the Buffalo Bills in the NFL. Instead, he was injured before the season started and never played professionally. He made his mark on Wall Street, where he owned First Harlem Securities, the second African-American brokerage to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. As a stockbroker, Goings inspired a generation of African-Americans to invest. -- Brown
10. Michigan State Spartans: Julie Aigner-Clark
With an enrollment that exceeds 50,000, there's a notable Spartan in nearly every professional and athletic field. How about Aigner-Clark? A 1988 graduate and former teacher, she went from stay-at-home mom to founder of Baby Einstein products. What was once a $5,000 start-up in her basement turned into a $25 million sale five years later. -- Strong
11. Indiana Hoosiers: Jamie Hyneman
The co-host of "Mythbusters" on the Discovery Channel has a degree in Russian language and linguistics from Indiana University. For 13 years, "Mythbusters" dazzled audiences by exploring myths from films and folklore, and it aired its final episode in May. A favorite topic? Perhaps the episode that focused on whether it was better to use an ax or firearm to protect yourself during a zombie apocalypse. -- Medcalf
12. Arizona Wildcats: Kourtney Kardashian
This will sound entirely implausible, but there was a time when someone named Kardashian could attend college in relative anonymity. One such time was 2002, and while fellow UA attendees Nicole Richie and Jason Gardner were attracting their fair share of attention, Kourtney kept her nose to the grindstone and earned a degree in theater arts. A few years later, her little sister, Kim, became famous, and, well, the family has been fairly high-profile ever since. Still, Kourtney has bragging rights at every Kardashian gathering, as she is the only one of her sisters (so far) who completed a bachelor's degree. -- Gasaway
13. Louisville Cardinals: Frank Neuhauser
Gladiolus. That's the word that earned Neuhauser a parade, a bicycle, $500 worth of gold coins and a meeting with President Calvin Coolidge. Long before he earned a degree from Louisville in 1934, Neuhauser found fame as the first winner of the National Spelling Bee. Just 11 years old when he won, he properly spelled gladiolus for the championship. He went on to earn an engineering degree from Louisville, enlist in the Navy in World War II and work as a patent attorney for General Electric. But he remained most famous for his earliest accomplishment. At later spelling bees, kids frequently asked for his autograph. He spelled everything correctly. -- O'Neil
14. Purdue Boilermakers: Orville Redenbacher
Walking on the moon sounds cool and all, but Neil Armstrong isn't the most interesting Purdue alum. It's Redenbacher. At last check, popcorn is still delicious. And Redenbacher's brand has transformed from the days of popping over a stove with the aluminum foil rising to pressing buttons on a microwave and hearing the kernels take shape. -- Brown
15. West Virginia Mountaineers: Steve Harvey
The most interesting West Virginia alumnus is ... "The Andy Griffith Show" star and Morgantown native Don Knotts. Wait. The first runner-up is Don Knotts. The most interesting West Virginia alumnus is ... Steve Harvey. The comedian and TV host made waves when he announced an incorrect winner for Miss Universe earlier this year, a flub that raised his profile and revealed some interesting details about his early struggles to make it big, which included being homeless for three years and stealing fuel to get to a gig. -- Strong
16. Gonzaga Bulldogs: Bing Crosby
Crosby doesn't get enough love in conversations about music legends, in part because Frank Sinatra was such a titan during his era. But Crosby had a more impressive career. The Gonzaga graduate's "White Christmas" set a Guinness World Record for best-selling single, with more than 100 million copies sold. Crosby also won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in 1944's "Going My Way." Not even Will Smith has matched that combination of on-screen and musical success. -- Medcalf
17. UCLA Bruins: Tom Anderson
UCLA's alumni list is dotted with Hollywood names, including James Franco, who agreed to speak at the 2009 commencement before some combination of student protest and scheduling conflicts forced him to back out. But the better choice is someone many of us feel a connection to: Tom Anderson, otherwise known as Myspace Tom. The social network's co-founder, who was everyone's first friend, whether you wanted him or not, has a degree in Critical Film Studies from Westwood's UC campus. -- Strong
18. Maryland Terrapins: Liz Lemon
Strictly speaking, Liz Lemon is a fictional character, and there's no shortage of celebrated, real-life Terrapin grads out there (including but not limited to Carly Fiorina, Jeff Kinney, Connie Chung, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and David Simon). That said, what book of rules decrees that a list such as this must be limited to nonfictional beings? Surely the protagonist of "30 Rock" merits inclusion in our top 25, if for no other reason than that she managed to fund her higher education in College Park through the innovative use of a partial competitive jazz dance scholarship. That and her killer rendition of "99 Luftballons" earn Ms. Lemon a richly deserved spot among the illustrious graduates featured here. -- Gasaway
19. Saint Mary's Gaels: Brother Timothy Diener
A science teacher by trade, Diener found a new calling in 1933, when prohibition ended, and became a wine chemist. Two years later, he moved to Mont La Salle and joined the De La Salle Christian Brothers. While the Brothers believed in vows of poverty, they were savvy businessmen. With Diener leading the way, Christian Brothers turned the altar wine produced during prohibition into a huge commercial success. The winery's success ultimately helped underwrite Saint Mary's. -- O'Neil
20. Creighton Bluejays: Leo Ryan
Ryan represented California's 11th District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1973-78. During that time, he co-sponsored a bill that attempted to provide oversight to the CIA's foreign dealings. He went undercover in Folsom Prison to investigate prison conditions while overseeing a committee on prison reforms. Ryan was shot and killed after he traveled to Guyana to investigate human rights violations by the People's Temple and its leader, Jim Jones, in Jamestown. -- Brown
21. Rhode Island Rams: Masta Ace
Duval Clear, aka "Masta Ace," is a hip-hop pioneer who dropped critical lyrics on the Juice Crew's 1988 hit "The Symphony," one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time. "A jam strong enough that it can lift your soul/I'm the originator, and my rhymes are made of gold." The Rhode Island graduate influenced other emcees with his delivery. Eminem said, "When I heard Masta Ace, like every time I would listen to him, he would make me wanna rap." -- Medcalf
22. Cincinnati Bearcats: William Howard Taft
Taft's résumé is so ostentatiously impressive that Yale and Cincinnati both claim him. (For the record, he received his undergraduate degree at the former institution and his law degree at the latter.) For the sake of discussion, say there have been 550 million Americans alive at some point since the country started inaugurating presidents in 1789. Not only is Taft one of just 43 people to serve as president (1909-13), but he is also the only one of those 43 to preside as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1921-1930). A CV such as that -- arguably one of the most accomplished in our nation's history -- must have made for some jolly good boasting at class reunions in New Haven and in Cincy. -- Gasaway
23. Florida State Seminoles: Burt Reynolds
Buddy, as he was known during his college days, was a promising football player who many thought could have a pro career. But Reynolds injured his knee his freshman season, missed his sophomore year recuperating and was done in entirely when a car accident in 1957 aggravated the problem. Bored and recuperating, he took some courses at Palm Beach Junior College, including an acting class. He was a natural and was awarded a summer scholarship to a playhouse in New York. Had he not hurt his knee trying to be a Seminole, we'd have no Smokey and the Bandit or Cannonball Run. -- O'Neil
24. UConn Huskies: Bobby Moynihan
You might not recognize his name, but you probably know his face. He's the guy who has been making you laugh as a cast member on Saturday Night Live since 2008. Moynihan's impressions have ranged from New Jersey governor Chris Christie to Star Wars creator George Lucas to actor Danny DeVito. -- Brown
25. Syracuse Orange: Aaron Sorkin
In the sporting world, Syracuse's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications has produced countless TV analysts and personalities. But it's hard to pass on screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin, who spoke at the Orange's 2012 commencement, has a credit list that includes films such as "A Few Good Men" and "The Social Network" and TV shows such as "The West Wing," "The Newsroom" and "Sports Night." -- Strong