what state has produced the most nfl players all time what state has produced the most nfl players all time

The dominance of Florida, Florida State and Miami has dwindled slightly over the years, but they are still producing NFL players at a high rate. Florida is another NFL-producing machine. Bottom line:The U may not have the same prestige it had at the turn of the century, but there is no denying Miamis presence in the NFL. Fortunately for the Sooners, Adrian Peterson is sure to increase that number five years after he retires. Since these states end up producing such talented players, that's why college football programs like Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State and Penn State get their hands on top recruits. One of the exciting things about going to college is that youll have the opportunity to direct the course of your own education. And there are currently no players that were born in the state of Vermont. The Lone Star State produced a plethora of talented quarterbacks, such as Drew Brees, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Ryan Tannehill. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. He has covered the SEC since 2016. We center readers in everything we do, informingand engagingMississippians through reporting, podcasts, events and online communities. Texas ranks last in ESPN's QB formula because of the expectations given the state's resources. Of the 16 Tigers to make at least one All-Pro first team, 11 were offensive players including Hall of Famers Y.A. Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. You'll find there's a QB1 state -- the one with the highest percentage of starts per game played -- and one that has produced the most backups. Weve ranked the best NFL-talent producing universities in Texas, California, Florida, North Carolina, and Alabama. It only seems as though Tom Brady has been playing long enough to have hung out with the Lizard King himself, and that Jim Morrison was talking about Brady and California QBs when he crooned, "The West is the best, get here and we'll do the rest." With all due respect to Fran Tarkenton and others drafted before 1980, the best players in Georgia history have come in the last 40 years. Others create politicians. Most touchdowns in NFL: James Lofton (76), Most games played in NFL: John Elway (234). Beyond that local rooting interest, there is at least one Grand Canyon graduate that has a major impact on the fortunes of an NFL franchise, even if most of his work takes place away from the field. U.S. News rank: 18 (tie), National Universities. Madison, Wisconsin, may not be the first location that many transfers think of when deciding where they want to finish their college careers, but it has proven to be a much-sought-after destination for some of the NFLs best players. The Sooners have only three Hall of Famers. Looking at the current NFL landscape, Action Network was able to identify several hot spots where top talent came from. The Buckeye State had 78 players in the NFL ranks in 2014. Will Texas cede its dominance, or will it hold strong as the top NFL-producing state? His work as a syndicated columnist and celebrated sports writer has appeared in numerous magazines, periodicals and newspapers. LSU - 325 10. This website does not fully support Internet Explorer. But one school often overlooked in this conversation is Arizona State. The city of Miami has more NFL players than any other city, and these players just arent your run-of-the-mill second and third-stringers. About Saturday Down South | Ethics and Editorial Standards | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Other Conferences: Big Ten | ACC | Pac-12. The only thing missing from Alabamas NFL resume is a shutdown cornerback. As one of the oldest teams in the league, the Cardinals have one of the largest rosters of players all-time, clocking in at over 1,800! So we set out to determine what state produces the most NFL players. Yet the Panthers also have the third-most Pro Football Hall of Famers of any football program, pointing to the pull of Pittsburgh for top talent in Western Pennsylvania. Some colleges excel at producing Fortune 500 CEOs. The United States of quarterbacks will add more members to the club April 29-May 1 with the NFL draft (on ESPN/ESPN App) and maybe someday make some QB-starved states proud (we're looking at you, Utah and Minnesota). Total enrollment: 46,810. Nebraska - 346 6. Before making life miserable for NFL defenses, they were doing the same to opponents in college. Former Buckeyes in the NFL draft this year include Kendall Sheffield (CB, Atlanta Falcons), Rod Smith (RB, Carolina Panthers) and Justin Fields (QB, Chicago Bears). 2 Alabama, SEC Women's Basketball Tournament action suspended due to weather delay, 2 SEC players named to late-season watch list for Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Trophy, Overrated? These high schools have produced the most NFL players. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelors in journalism, Rick has worked for the Monroe (La.) It features arguably the most successful college football program in history. Bottom line: Louisiana has the most NFL players per capita of any state, and LSU leverages that fact as the only Power 5 program in the state. How 'bout them Cowboys? Bottom line:The Auburn Tigers are not currently considered an SEC powerhouse, but it wasn't that long ago when they were. Bottom line:Florida is the only state to place three schools in the top 25, and despite FSU having the most recent success of the three programs, the Seminoles rank last in the Battle for Florida. 2 following the 1962 season. North Carolina can claim 121 current NFL players in the league. Action Network conducted a study to identify which state produced the most current NFL talent, which determined that the Lone Star State was the home of 211 active players, which accounts for 1 in every 12 players. Please reload the page and try again. After starring at Snider High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Woodson stayed close to home and became an All-American for the Boilermakers. Bottom line: Stanford didn't invent football, but the school helped popularize it in the 1920s and '30s with Pop Warner, who coached the Cardinal from 1924 to 1932. Troy Aikman, Jonathan Ogden and Jimmy Johnson all have rejected USC for Westwood and currently reside in the Hall of Fame. At the other end of the spectrum, North Dakota, Delaware, and New Hampshire are each the birthplace of a single player in the NFL. Its one of the most exciting times of the year for football fans around the country. The state also produced Richard Sherman, Tyron Smith, Bobby Wagner and several other stars. The remaining seven states to crack the top 10 are Georgia, Ohio, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, North Carolina and New Jersey. California alone, at 225 active players, accounts for more than ten percent of NFL players. Interestingly, the 1988 move to Phoenix marked an end to regionality having an outsize influence on roster decisions, with Michigan Wolverines playing for the Cardinals at a greater clip than any other school in both the 2000s and 2010s. Vinny Testaverde. Rounding out the top five are USC (479), Ohio State (426), Penn State (359), and Nebraska (346). That makes them a bit of an outlier since every other school in the top seven is in a warm-weather location in either the South or Southern California. The Sunshine State comes in at #3 with 149 total players in the NFL. Oklahoma - 328 9. Of those, 74 have made it to the big game, with three former Buckeyes making four Super Bowl appearances each.. We support responsible gambling. Alabama leads the way with 72 active NFL players as of the 2021-2022 season. Editorial cartoons and photo essays are not included under the Creative Commons license and therefore do not have the "Republish This Story" button option. Thats more than much larger states such as New York (7) and New Jersey (6). To explain what we did, we cant think of a better team to spotlight than the aforementioned Arizona Cardinals, owners of the top overall pick this weekend. Bottom line:Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Buckeyes' NFL credentials is that they rank second in active players with 65. Follow on Twitter @RichExner or see previous stories at cleveland.com/datacentral. Rick Cleveland, a native of Hattiesburg and resident of Jackson, has been Mississippi Todays sports columnist since 2016. Louisiana, which doesn't have. Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. St. Ignatius (Ohio) is in the only ZIP code with four NFL quarterbacks, though the most well-known name from that group is Luck -- and it's not the Luck you think it is. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). By state, NFL training-camp rosters had 336 former Texas high school players, 293 from Florida, 285 from California and 232 from Georgia. Mississippi State has no former players the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Second is California with 187, followed by Texas (160), Georgia (97), Ohio (80), Pennsylvania (66) and Louisiana (63). Rod Woodson already has a gold jacket and is the greatest Purdue football alum not named Brees. Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. While Brady (and his seven rings) is the headliner, the Golden State's dominance is more than just the Golden Boy, a sixth-round pick who graduated from Serra High School in 1995. The NFL is known world wide for having some of the best athletes in the world. What state produces the most NFL players header image. Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports shared a chart on Twitter on Thursday that breaks down which states have the most NFL players per capita. Florida was also the home of superstars like Dalvin Cook, Amari Cooper, Lavonte David, Derrick Henry, Calvin Ridley and Matthew Stafford. Another amazing fact: Jackson State, alone, has produced four Hall of Famers, three of them native Mississippians. The school has produced at least one player from every season of NFL football since the league resumed play in 2012. He might be No. Historically, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania have been hotbeds for football talent. Copyright 2023 Action Network Inc, All Rights Reserved.Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | AdChoices. The NFLs all-time leading receiver and touchdown scorer is Jerry Rice, from Crawford and Mississippi Valley State. North Dakota State's Trey Lance could be the first Minnesota QB selected in the first round. In Georgia, one NFL player is played for every 81,409 people, while in Florida, one is played for every 91,847 people. AV refers to approximate value and is PFRs attempt to quantify a players career value. 13 Texas A&M at Kyle Field. Louisiana, with 25 NFL QBs, including Terry Bradshaw, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, is No. Since 1936, 788 NFL players have come from Mississippi. 1980 also stands as the midpoint for Georgia football and the NFL draft as 50 percent of all drafted Bulldogs were selected before 1980 while the other half came in 1980 or later. The only thing missing from Washingtons NFL alumni is a successful wide receiver. Without Fitzpatrick's 146 starts, the canyon between Arizona and runner-up Ohio, at 57.6% for its 34 QBs, would be even wider. The 2022 season has seen 58 active players from the Alabama lineage. Twenty-eight states have fewer.The Cuyahoga natives, with the listed place of birth, are: Rankings could vary slightly because the birth places for 14 players were not immediately available, and rosters can change daily. Louisiana is famous for its Cajun food, jazz music, Mardi Gras -- and quarterbacks. Although the Magnolia State has boasted just 11 NFL quarterbacks during the Super Bowl era (tied for 12th among all states), almost all of them were QB1s. We believe that an informed Mississippi is a better Mississippi. is known world wide for having some of the best athletes in the world. Colorado . Just because we dont have a college team of our own here at Grand Canyon University doesnt mean that we arent caught up in the excitement and talent infusion the draft brings. So we set out to determine what state produces the most NFL players. We also looked at the three college teams who had the most players join each professional team in every decade. How 'bout them Hogs? In the City of Miami, State of Florida, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School produces the most NFL players. Woodson has a Super Bowl ring, 71 career interceptions, 11 Pro Bowls and six All-Pro honors. Current NFL players: 37. Only Purdue (676), Oregon (687) and Arkansas (706) have fewer NFL touchdowns. Oct 6, 2011, 8:10 AM Historically, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania have been hotbeds for football talent. The University of Alabama has produced the most pro athletes out of college, though, with 82. We just dont have available stats on the authors and musicians. necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Which Schools Have the Most NFL Players? Only five players in the program's history have been selected first . We also looked at career length to find which colleges players have the longest average careers on different NFL teams. Don Majkowski. Notably, however, LSU was the school most represented on the 2018 Cardinals roster. Michigan - 346 7. Colleges with the most NFL players all time . Despite having the most players all-time, the Fighting Irish ranked eigth in active players for the 2022 NFL season. Active NFL players from Texas include Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes; Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams. And Jacksonville, Florida, native Mac Jones is expected to be the third straight Alabama QB selected in the first round, with none of the three hailing from Alabama. Action Network's list of the top 10 states with the most active NFL players is listed below: Texas- 211 California- 149 Florida- 149 North Carolina- 121 Alabama- 109 Pennsylvania- 106 Ohio- 104 Michigan- 103 Louisiana- 102 Georgia- 89 Advertise With Us For You Dont forget to take advantage of Caesars Sportsbooks NCAAF odds week-in and week-out! They both were middle linebackers and played for rival franchises in the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, respectively. Remember, were talking about per capita here. Some regions of the country, though, have become well known for regularly producing NFL-caliber talent. They are from Pro Football Reference and through the 2022 NFL season. The Penn State Nittany Lions, who began play in 1889, are among the most storied programs in . We share information about your use of this site with our social media, advertising and analytics teams who may combine it with other information that youve provided to them. Here are the universities cultivating the talent: In Alabama, theres no denying which school is best at producing professional football players. and Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, who rated as the top prospect from the Lone Star State for the 2014 national recruiting cycle before signing with Texas A&M. Mississippi produces more NFL players per capita than any other state, and its not really that close. Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke dominated in the 1960s and '70s, and the Fighting Illinis success also is in yesteryear. Eventually, we had gathered data on every player to ever appear on an active NFL roster, including their position, who they played for, how long they played in the league and of course which college they attended. After Georgia the drop-off is significant. The only thing UCLA is missing is an elite NFL receiver since theyve had Pro Bowlers at every position except out wide. It's no surprise the schools that dominate on Saturdays see their alumni playing on Sundays. But Michigan also has struggled when it comes to skill position players in the NFL. These rankings are based on rosters published by Stats LLC on Monday afternoon, three days before the start of the season. There were at least eight Power 5 starting quarterbacks in college football last season from Arizona, but just two Arizonans started in the NFL last season (Kyle Allen and Ryan Fitzpatrick). Bottom line: Purdue is one of the oldest college football programs. Additionally, Miami wins the all-important Battle for Florida since it has more Pro Bowl selections (181) than Florida State (103) and Florida (89). Others create politicians. Florida ranked third with 149. The data was analyzed through the lenses of number of quarterbacks, Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Super Bowl wins and NFL approximate value (AV). To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Bottom line: Arkansas has a great football tradition. We are particularly interested in which colleges have been the most successful at sending players to the pros. That is 48 more than the team with the next most Pro Bowl selections. We do not target any individuals under the age of 21. Ohio State - 426 4. What college has the most NFL players all time? With the 2020 season officially underway, CBS unveiled an incredible graphic that shows which states produce the most NFL players. After all, our hometown Arizona Cardinals have the first overall pick! The state that produced dynamic personalities such as Favre and Gardner Minshew found a way to make an impression. With 56 players, Alabama's roster in 2019 is the largest. Highest AV in NFL: Randall McDaniel (129), Most touchdowns in NFL: Charley Taylor (90), Most games played in NFL: Terrell Suggs (244). With 14 cities producing at least four players on Kickoff Weekend rosters, Texas surpassed Florida to lead the league in home states. But that is debatable. Bottom line:Did you know that the Washington Huskies 40 game win streak from 1908 to 1914 is the second-longest in NCAA history? Still, they dont have decades of winning traditions, which is why they fall a little lower on this list than many might expect. Time will tell! You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. Help keep the momentum going by rejoining our member community today. Which ZIP code has produced the most NFL quarterbacks? Thats right, Mississippi, for its population, produces more pro football players than Texas, Florida, California and more than Louisiana and Alabama, as well. A winning tradition brings recruits from all over the country, and Ohio States all-time winning percentage of .754 ranks first among Power 5 programs. Which state has the highest average draft position for quarterbacks? And where does the 2021 NFL draft class of quarterbacks come from? You make the call. The most NFL players have come from Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Miami, Florida, and the state of Florida. No. There have been 149 players in NFL history to rush for 5,000 yards in a career, but none of them have donned the maize and blue. The state of Mississippi has placed the most players in the NFL capita, according to a by Sidelines. California and Texas are still at the top of the list. Kelly never got the program to the promised land, and Oregon still is searching for its first national championship. The research was done by Sidelines, a sports technology and digital media company, which also found that Texas has produced the most NFL players (2,515) of any state. We're dedicated to keeping Mississippians informed with our thorough reporting. That stat does deserve a caveat as Matthew Slater and Wally Henry were both Bruins receivers who made the Pro Bowl, but they did so at the positions of special teams and return specialist, respectively. Again, its not even close. The remaining seven states to crack the top 10 are Georgia, Ohio, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, North Carolina and New Jersey. Heck, it doesnt even finish in the top two in its own division thanks to the two participants of "The Game" beating them out. The Alabama Crimson Tide has produced the most NFL players out of all college football teams. 1 in health, wealth and education? And some make NFL players. Pennsylvania - 443.4 The Bruins are considered a basketball school while nearby USC is considered the citys football school, but UCLA gets more than just the Trojans leftovers. North Carolina can claim 121 current NFL players in the league. The numbers were run through a principle component analysis -- boiling the information down to the most important data points -- to create the overall rankings. For the Cardinals, this means that Georgia Tech and Duke footballers last the longest with the franchise at nearly four seasons on average. Arkansas (274) 24. California is more than just Tom Brady, and the great state of Texas hasn't been so great when it comes to producing NFL QBs, according to our formula, which counts a player's home state as the one in which he finished his high school career. DISCLAIMER: This site is 100% for entertainment purposes only and does not involve real money betting. More:Mississippi State upends No. Bottom line:Another one of the schools without a national title, the Hawkeyes are a perfect nickname for Iowa because their best two players seemingly had hawk eyes. Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. But which high schools are "football factories" like major college programs such as Alabama, Ohio State and USC? Even with Aikman, Oklahoma has fewer Hall of Famers than Morgan State, San Francisco and Jackson State, all schools with fewer than 100 NFL players. The research was done by Sidelines, a sports technology and digital media company, which also found that Texas has produced the most NFL players (2,515) of any state. In Ohio, Cuyahoga County alone is the birthplace of 17 players. Bottom line:UT is home to four Hall of Famers, although one of them, Tom Landry, is enshrined in Canton due to his work as a coach rather than a player. Cardale Jones. 13 Texas A&M at Kyle Field, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Seven of the school's 11 national championships came in the first half of the 20th century, and none of those titles have come in the last 30 years. The school actually has more Heisman winners (2) than Pro Football Hall of Famers (1), though Von Miller or even Shane Lechler may one day even things up. Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. Heres the full chart that Feldman shared on Twitter below: The District of Columbia, with one NFL player for every 54,702 residents, has the most NFL players per capita. Most games played:Sebastian Janikowski (284). With the 2021 NFL Draft now firmly in the rearview mirror, here's an updated look at the 25 schools with the most all-time NFL Draft picks. Both J.J. Watt and Russell Wilson started their college careers elsewhere, then ended their playing days suiting up for the red and white of the Wisconsin Badgers. From 1960 to 1987, the franchise was located in St. Louis, and that westward move brought with it more players from the Southwest and Great Plains regions, as players from schools like Utah, Missouri and Nebraska starting appearing on the field more for the NFL franchise. The schools other Hall of Famers are quarterback Bobby Layne, running back Earl Campbell and defensive back Bobby Dillon. But that number dropped to 28 in 2022, due to some lean years for the Seminoles. But even the most diehard of Notre Dame fans would admit that their best days are well behind them. The rest of the country and other places around the world are home to 838 players. That's why they call scouting an inexact science. No promotions available. You could say it all started with the godfather of football, Pop Warner. Together these seven states are the birthplaces of 846 NFL players. Pennsylvania State University--University. That is about 9% of the current active players in the league. Meanwhile, the Magnolia State has plenty to celebrate when it comes to football or writers and entertainers, for that matter. This site .css-110721q{color:#0079F0;}contains commercial content. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using. We know most people arent fans of the Arizona Cardinals, so we went ahead and made a similar graphic for every other team in the National Football League, which you can click through in the above slideshow. Alabama is ranked first in the country in terms of NFL players per capita, with one NFL player per 74,683 residents. Bottom line:Illinois never won a national championship, but the Illini had two of the most iconic players in NFL history. Always has. Jim Druckenmiller. Alabama (17) was a distant fifth. Bottom line:Michigan has the second most all-time wins in college football history (behind Alabama), produced perhaps the greatest quarterback in NFL history (Tom Brady) and even had a future president play for them (Gerald Ford). Only 44 wide receivers in NFL history have reached 10,000 receiving yards, and three of them came from MSU Andre Rison, Muhsin Muhammad and Derrick Mason. Its not just quantity were talking about either. . Tittle, Steve Van Buren and Kevin Mawae. The dominance of Florida, Florida State and Miami has dwindled slightly over the years, but they are still producing NFL players at a high rate. Action Network analyzed each NFL teams current roster to identify the state and university each of their players came from. a proud member of the Among states with SEC schools, the per capita numbers are: Mississippi (first, 26.6), Louisiana (fourth, 21.2), Alabama (fifth, 17), Arkansas (12th, 13.4), Tennessee (13th, 13.3), South Carolina (14th, 11.5), Kentucky (16th, 9.9), Texas (23rd, 8.5), Florida (34th, 6), Georgia (35th, 6) andMissouri (38th, 5.3). For a better experience, please consider using a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. Read on to see the results. Weve looked at the top states for producing NFL players, but how about the most successful schools within those states? While everything may be bigger in Texas, the Aggies come up small in terms of Pro Football Hall of Famers. Using traditional offensive and defensive formations as our guide, we were able to create a unique starting lineup of college football teams, using their logos as stand-ins. Will Furrer. In the 1950s, 69 Spartans were drafted into the NFL, compared to just 59 from 2000 to 2019. 2023 www.clarionledger.com. Bottom line: Youll notice a trend with nearly all of the schools on this list most reside in small college towns and outside of major cities. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Though it might surprise some fans, the state of Florida actually has the most current NFL players. Despite that, Washington has attracted many of the top players in the nation and its reach goes beyond its Seattle campus. The Longhorns are no longer on top, and they are chasing Oklahoma for Big 12 supremacy in terms of NFL players produced. This is another program that has experienced its most success in recent years, and only rival Alabama has more active NFL players. Any sources cited were To learn more about our cartoon syndication services. Across NFL draft history, Notre Dame and USC have seen the most alums get drafted, according to drafthistory.com -- and they are also the most popular programs for the Eagles over time. Is it any surprise that the Lone Star State tops the ranking? Eleven ZIP codes have produced three NFL QBs, and 60 can boast two. You have to credit Mississippi Today. Texas is a football crazy state where towns live and die by their local teams at every level. Ousmane Diallo, a data analyst for Rise at Seven, led a team of five that did the research and tallied the results.