Most famous alums March Madness bracket: Who wins between Donald Trump, Oprah and more in 2026?

Watch closely during March Madness and you’ll notice random celebrities pop up at every NCAA tournament site cheering on their schools.

Some are alums, some are parent, some are simply fans. And while you might be used to seeing the likes of Ashley Judd going bonkers for Kentucky or Paul Rudd chanting ‘Rock, chalk, Jayhawk’, there will certainly be some head scratchers along the way — especially for some smaller schools you’re not used to watching. Raise your hand if you can rattle off celebrity fans for Kennesaw State or Troy.

That got us wondering: Who is the most famous celebrity we might see throughout the tournament?

We took the field of 64 and picked one famous non-sports celebrity to represent every school. And because its March Madness, naturally we then took the current bracket and swapped in celebrities to represent each school.

MORE BRACKETS: Funny bracket names and puns | Printable bracket | Bracket with nicknames

If you rated celebrities simply by subjective levels of fame, who would emerge with the ultimate bragging rights?

My five favorites to cut down the nets:

• Oprah Winfrey (15-seed Tennessee State)
• Dwyane ‘The Rock’ Johnson (7-seed Miami)
• Donald Trump (14-seed Penn)
• Kourtney Kardashian (1-seed Arizona)
• Brad Pitt (10-seed Missouri)

Beyond the favorites, our celebrity bracket features some fun matchups in the first round alone:

• Donald Trump (Penn) vs. Hugh Heffner (Illinois). Enough said.
• Bernie Madoff began college at Alabama before transferring to Hofstra thus adding some extra intrigue to the 4-13 Alabama-Hofstra matchup.
• Mitch McConnell and Hulk Hogan is the hard-hitting layer to Louisville-South Florida that you didn’t know you needed.
• The host of Jeopardy faces off against an SNL Celebrity Jeopardy legend in the Ken Jennings (BYU) vs. Matthew McConaughey (Texas).
• Hollywood A-listers square off in St. Louis with Brad Pitt (Missouri)) taking on The Rock (Miami)

And that’s just the first round without even playing out possible later round collisions. Here's the entire bracket. 

Download famous alums NCAA Tournament bracket (PDF) by clicking here.

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Did we get pick the right celebrities? You be the judge! Our only rule was sticking to non-athletes which is why you don't see the likes of Michael Jordan for UNC or Tom Brady for Michigan. We softened the rules for sports-adjacent alums such as 'The Rock' (who played football at Miami) or Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (who played football at Arkansas).

Here are some of the other names we considered for every school.

REGION PREVIEWS: East | West | Midwest | South

East Region notable famous alums in March Madness

1 Duke

• Tim Cook (CEO of Apple)
• Ken Jeong (Actor & Comedian)
• Melinda French Gates (Philanthropist)

2 UConn

• Meg Ryan (Actress)
• Suzanne Collins (Author, The Hunger Games)
• Bobby Moynihan (Comedian, SNL)

3 Michigan State

• Sam Raimi (Film Director, Spider-Man)
• James Caan (Actor, The Godfather - attended)
• Tom Sizemore (Actor)

4 Kansas

• Paul Rudd (Actor)
• Rob Riggle (Comedian & Actor)
• Don Johnson (Actor)

5 St. John's

• J. Cole (Grammy-winning Rapper)
• Mario Cuomo (Former NY Governor)
• Darryl McDaniels (Musician, Run-DMC)

6 Louisville

• Mitch McConnell (U.S. Senator)
• Sue Grafton (Mystery Author)
• Ned Beatty (Actor - attended)

7 UCLA

• Francis Ford Coppola (Film Director, The Godfather)
• Jack Black (Actor & Musician)
• John Williams (Legendary Film Composer)

8 Ohio State

• R.L. Stine (Author, Goosebumps)
• Patricia Heaton (Actress, Everybody Loves Raymond)
• Roy Lichtenstein (Pop Artist)

9 TCU

• Luke Wilson (Actor - attended)
• Sue Monk Kidd (Author, The Secret Life of Bees)
• Chris Klein (Actor, American Pie)

10 UCF

• Daniel Tosh (Comedian, Tosh.0)
• Cheryl Hines (Actress, Curb Your Enthusiasm)
• Nicole Stott (NASA Astronaut)

11 South Florida

• Hulk Hogan / Terry Bollea (Pro Wrestler/Entertainer - attended)
• Mark Consuelos (Actor & Talk Show Host)
• Gallagher (Comedian)

12 Northern Iowa

• Chuck Grassley (U.S. Senator)
• Robert James Waller (Author, The Bridges of Madison County)
• Bess Streeter Aldrich (Novelist)

13 Cal Baptist

• Brent Kutzle (Musician, OneRepublic)
• Drew Shirley (Guitarist, Switchfoot)
• Rick Warren (Author, The Purpose Driven Life)

14 North Dakota State

• Ilhan Omar (U.S. Representative)
• Doug Burgum (Governor of North Dakota)
• Alf Clausen (Composer, The Simpsons)

15 Furman

• Charles Townes (Nobel Laureate, invented the laser)
• Herman W. Lay (Founder of Frito-Lay)
• Amy Grant (Grammy-winning Singer)

16 Siena

• William Kennedy (Pulitzer Prize-winning Author)
• John Papa (Tech Leader, Microsoft)
• George Deukmejian (Former Governor of California)

West Region notable famous alums in March Madness

1 Arizona

• Kourtney Kardashian (Reality TV Star & Businesswoman)
• Kristen Wiig (Actress & Comedian, SNL)
• Nicole Richie (TV Personality & Fashion Designer)

2 Purdue

• Neil Armstrong (First person to walk on the moon)
• Orville Redenbacher (Popcorn Mogul)
• Jim Gaffigan (Stand-up Comedian & Actor)

3 Gonzaga

• Bing Crosby (Legendary Singer & Actor)
• Michael Winslow (Actor/Comedian, the "man of 10,000 sound effects" from Police Academy)
• Sherman Alexie (Acclaimed Author & Poet)

4 Arkansas

• Jerry Jones (Owner of Dallas Cowboys)
• S. Robson Walton (Former Chairman of Walmart)
• J. William Fulbright (U.S. Senator & founder of the Fulbright Program)

5 Wisconsin

• Frank Lloyd Wright (Legendary Architect - attended)
• Dick Cheney (Former U.S. Vice President - attended)
• Joan Cusack (Oscar-nominated Actress)

6 BYU

• Mitt Romney (U.S. Senator & 2012 Presidential Candidate)
• Stephenie Meyer (Author of the Twilight series)
• Ken Jennings (Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time & Host)

7 Miami (FL)

• Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Actor & Producer — yes, he played football, but he's undoubtedly an entertainment icon now)
• Gloria Estefan (Grammy-winning Singer)
• Sylvester Stallone (Actor, Rocky - attended)

8 Villanova

• Bradley Cooper (Oscar-nominated Actor & Director)
• Jill Biden (First Lady of the United States)
• Jim Croce (Legendary Folk Singer-Songwriter)

9 Utah State

• Philo T. Farnsworth (Inventor of the first fully electronic television)
• Harry Reid (Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader)
• Marie Osmond (Singer & Entertainer)

10 Missouri

• Brad Pitt (Actor - attended)
• Jon Hamm (Actor, Mad Men)
• Sheryl Crow (Grammy-winning Musician)

11 Texas

• Matthew McConaughey (Oscar-winning Actor)
• Renée Zellweger (Oscar-winning Actress)
• Neil deGrasse Tyson (Astrophysicist & Science Communicator)

12 High Point

• Donna Fargo (Grammy-winning Country Singer)
• Jacklyn H. Lucas (Youngest Medal of Honor recipient of WWII - attended)
• Nido Qubein (President of HPU & Motivational Speaker)

13 Hawaii

• Bette Midler (Legendary Singer & Actress)
• Jason Momoa (Actor, Aquaman - attended)
• Maggie Q (Actress, Nikita & Designated Survivor - attended)

14 Kennesaw State

• Ty Pennington (TV Host, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - attended)
• Mac Powell (Lead Singer of the Grammy-winning band Third Day)
• Kandice Pelletier (Miss New York 2005 & The Amazing Race contestant)

15 Queens

• Vi Lyles (Current Mayor of Charlotte - earned her Master's here)
• Betsy Byars (Newbery Medal-winning Children's Author)
• Colin Munroe (Pop/R&B Singer-Songwriter)

16 LIU

• Dina Meyer (Actress, Starship Troopers & Saw)
• Ray Dalio (Billionaire Investor & Founder of Bridgewater Associates)
• Nicholas Pileggi (Screenwriter of Goodfellas and Casino)

South Region notable famous alums in March Madness

1 Florida

• Marco Rubio (U.S. Senator)
• Bob Vila (Home Improvement TV Host)
• Faye Dunaway (Oscar-winning Actress)

2 Houston

• Jim Parsons (Actor, The Big Bang Theory)
• Elizabeth Warren (U.S. Senator)
• Lizzo (Grammy-winning Musician - attended)

3 Illinois

• Hugh Hefner (Founder of Playboy)
• Roger Ebert (Legendary Film Critic)
• Nick Offerman (Actor, Parks and Recreation)

4 Nebraska

• Warren Buffett (Billionaire Investor - attended before transferring to Penn, then finishing at Nebraska)
• Gabrielle Union (Actress)
• Johnny Carson (Iconic Host of The Tonight Show)

5 Vanderbilt

• Al Gore (Former U.S. Vice President)
• James Patterson (Bestselling Author)
• Dierks Bentley (Country Music Star)

6 North Carolina

• James K. Polk (11th U.S. president)
• Andy Griffith (Legendary Actor)
• Lewis Black (Comedian & Actor)

7 Saint Mary's

• Mahershala Ali (Two-time Oscar-winning Actor)
• Joseph Alioto (Former Mayor of San Francisco)
• Brian Copeland (Comedian & Radio Host)

8 Clemson

• Nikki Haley (Former UN Ambassador & Governor)
• Dolph Lundgren (Actor, Rocky IV - earned his Master's here on a Fulbright Scholarship)
• Strom Thurmond (Former U.S. Senator)

9 Iowa

• Gene Wilder (Legendary Actor, Willy Wonka)
• Ashton Kutcher (Actor & Tech Investor - attended)
• Flannery O'Connor (Acclaimed Author)

10 Texas A&M

• Rip Torn (Emmy-winning Actor)
• Lyle Lovett (Grammy-winning Musician)
• Robert Earl Keen (Country Music Singer-Songwriter)

11 VCU

• Patch Adams (Physician & Clown—famously played by Robin Williams in the movie)
• David Baldacci (Bestselling Author)
• Stephen Furst (Actor, Animal House)

12 McNeese

• Adam Johnson (Pulitzer Prize-winning Novelist)
• Jeffrey A. Miller (Chairman & CEO of Halliburton)
• Doug Kershaw (Legendary Fiddle Player & Musician)

13 Troy

• Tom Foreman (Emmy-winning Broadcast Journalist)
• Lynne Koplitz (Stand-up Comedian)
• Russell Honoré (Retired Lieutenant General, "Category 5 General" of Hurricane Katrina)

14 Penn

• Elon Musk (CEO of Tesla & SpaceX)
• Donald Trump (45th and 47th U.S. President)
• John Legend (EGOT-winning Musician)

15 Idaho

• Sarah Palin (Former Governor of Alaska & VP Nominee)
• Mark Felt (The famous "Deep Throat" FBI whistleblower of Watergate)
• Carol Ryrie Brink (Newbery Medal-winning Author)

16 Prairie View A&M

• Mr. T (Iconic Actor & Wrestler - attended)
• DJ Premier (Legendary Hip-Hop Producer - attended)
• Terry Ellis (Singer, En Vogue)

Midwest Region notable famous alums in March Madness

(1) Michigan

• Madonna (Pop Icon - attended)
• Larry Page (Co-founder of Google)
• James Earl Jones (Legendary Voice & Screen Actor)

2 Iowa State

• George Washington Carver (Legendary Botanist & Inventor)
• Henry A. Wallace (33rd U.S. Vice President)
• Carrie Chapman Catt (Pioneering Women's Suffrage Leader)

3 Virginia

• Tina Fey (Comedian, Writer, & Actress)
• Edgar Allan Poe (Iconic Poet & Author - attended)
• Robert F. Kennedy (Former U.S. Attorney General & Senator)

4 Alabama

• Harper Lee (Author of To Kill a Mockingbird - attended)
• Jimmy Wales (Co-founder of Wikipedia)
• Sela Ward (Emmy-winning Actress)

5 Texas Tech

• John Denver (Legendary Folk Singer - attended)
• Rick Husband (Commander of the tragic Space Shuttle Columbia)
• Scott Pelley (Legendary CBS News Anchor & 60 Minutes Correspondent)

6 Tennessee

• Cormac McCarthy (Pulitzer-winning Author of No Country for Old Men - attended)
• Scott Kelly (NASA Astronaut who spent a year in space)
• Dixie Carter (Actress, Designing Women)

7 Kentucky

• Ashley Judd (Actress & Activist)
• Harry Dean Stanton (Legendary Character Actor, Alien & Paris, Texas)
• Thomas Hunt Morgan (Nobel Prize-winning Geneticist)

8 Georgia

• Ryan Seacrest (TV & Radio Host - attended)
• Kyle Chandler (Emmy-winning Actor, Friday Night Lights)
• Wayne Knight (Actor, famously "Newman" on Seinfeld)

9 Saint Louis

• James Gunn (Director of Guardians of the Galaxy and co-CEO of DC Studios)
• August Busch IV (Former CEO of Anheuser-Busch)
• Gene Kranz (Legendary NASA Flight Director for Apollo 13—the "Failure is not an option" guy!)

10 Santa Clara

• Gavin Newsom (Current Governor of California)
• Khaled Hosseini (Author of the massive bestseller The Kite Runner)
• Leon Panetta (Former U.S. Secretary of Defense & CIA Director)

11 Miami (OH)

• Benjamin Harrison (23rd U.S. President)
• Paul Ryan (Former Speaker of the House)
• Art Clokey (Creator of the claymation character Gumby)

12 Akron

• Yvette Nicole Brown (Actress, Community)
• Ray C. Bliss (Former Republican National Committee Chairman)
• Dan Auerbach (Musician, The Black Keys - attended)

13 Hofstra

• Christopher Walken (Oscar-winning Actor - attended)
• Francis Ford Coppola (Iconic Director - attended before transferring to UCLA)
• Avi Arad (Founder of Marvel Studios)

14 Wright State

• Nicole Scherzinger (Lead Singer of The Pussycat Dolls - attended)
• Eddie McClintock (Actor, Warehouse 13)
• Brad Sherwood (Comedian, Whose Line Is It Anyway?)

15 Tennessee State

• Oprah Winfrey (Billionaire Media Mogul & Philanthropist)
• Young Buck (Platinum-selling Rapper - attended)
• Moses Gunn (Acclaimed Stage & Screen Actor)

16 UMBC (Maryland, Baltimore County)

• Duff Goldman (Celebrity Baker & Star of Ace of Cakes)
• Kathleen Hanna (Punk Rock Icon, lead singer of Bikini Kill)
• Matthew VanDyke (Documentary Filmmaker & Activist)