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. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Coming in at second for most NFL players on Week 1 rosters is Texas. Bottom line:Wisconsin has the most NFL players of any school to never win a national championship their highest season-ending finish was No. Brees or Woodson at the top of the Purdue football alumni depth chart? It was enough to move . This makes up 2.79% of the NFL. While Washington D.C., which isnt a state, has the best ratio of any place, it is followed by six states that feature SEC schools. But that is debatable. 3 is Georgia (one in 78,761). Bottom line:Did you know that the Washington Huskies 40 game win streak from 1908 to 1914 is the second-longest in NCAA history? Yale Lary is the only Hall of Famer in school history, and that one HOF selection is the fewest of any school on this list. Weve looked at the top states for producing NFL players, but how about the most successful schools within those states? 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. 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. 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. His work as a syndicated columnist and celebrated sports writer has appeared in numerous magazines, periodicals and newspapers. In fact, 12 of their Pro Bowl players played either running back or fullback. California - 460.6 Aaron Rodgers, Pleasant Valley (Chico) - 104.1 Tom Brady, Serra (San Mateo) - 96.4 Carson Palmer, Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) - 88.1 Jeff Garcia, Gilroy - 87.5 Alex Smith, Helix (La Mesa) - 84.5 2. Alabama - 319 What College Has The Most NFL Players - 2019 Alabama - 53 LSU - 51 Ohio State - 46 USC - 44 Miami - 43 Florida - 43 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). 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). 1 overall pick. Current NFL players: 37. The sheer size of California and the number of universities within it has propelled the state to #2 on the list. Will Furrer. A new, thorough study confirms what I have long contended to be true. They grew up just 10 minutes from each other in Chicago and are universally known by their surnames: Butkus and Nitschke. 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. Its not just quantity were talking about either. Which ZIP code has produced the most NFL quarterbacks? 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. Did you also know that the streak started a dozen years before the NFL was founded so none of the players on those teams made it to the league? 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. Alabama rounds out the top 5 with 109 active NFL players. For the Cardinals, this means that Georgia Tech and Duke footballers last the longest with the franchise at nearly four seasons on average. According to Pro Football Reference, Arizona has produced 19 NFL quarterbacks, eighth most in the country, but it has the lowest percentage of starts (55%) among states with at least 400 games . 1 in health, wealth and education? Despite having the most players all-time, the Fighting Irish ranked eigth in active players for the 2022 NFL season. Yes, Bulldogs Dak Prescott and perhaps Fletcher Cox are future Hall of Famers but thats a few years away. But Texas surpassed the Golden State in the 2000s with 25 quarterbacks (to California's 22), and they are tied with eight in the 2010s. Hall of Famers Warren Moon and Hugh McElhenny came from Los Angeles, six-time Pro Bowl center Olin Kreutz came from Hawaii, and Marcus Peters was from Oakland. And where does the 2021 NFL draft class of quarterbacks come from? Unfortunately, the two never shared a backfield while at Iowa, or maybe thats fortunate for opposing quarterbacks. Bottom line: Smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania, Penn State isnt far from Ohio, New York and New Jersey. Trevor Lawrence, of Cartersville High, and Justin Fields, of Harrison High, became the top two recruits in the nation in 2018. California ranked second among all U.S. states with 151 players drafted. With 56 players, Alabama's roster in 2019 is the largest. What college has the most NFL players all time? BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 09: Quarterback Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens rushes against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. The data was analyzed through the lenses of number of quarterbacks, Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Super Bowl wins and NFL approximate value (AV). USC - 479 3. Some regions of the country, though, have become well known for regularly producing NFL-caliber talent. In Ohio, Cuyahoga County alone is the birthplace of 17 players. North Carolina Perhaps a surprise to some, North Carolina takes the fourth spot. Time will tell! The NFLs all-time leading receiver and touchdown scorer is Jerry Rice, from Crawford and Mississippi Valley State. But the Texas total computes to only 8.5 players per 100,000, about one-third of what Mississippi has produced. U.S. News rank: 57 (tie), National Universities. Editorial cartoons and photo essays are not included under the Creative Commons license and therefore do not have the "Republish This Story" button option. had produced 63 NFL players, the most among the nation . Cam Newton attended Florida for two years, then transferred to Auburn, so when he was taken first overall in the 2011 NFL draft, Auburn got the credit for the selection. Most touchdowns in NFL: Lance Alworth (87), Most games played in NFL: Jason Peters (238). Bledsoe, the No. Heres the breakdown: There are three colleges that have dominated Florida football for decades. Thats a no-brainer. Youd probably expect huge numbers from the likes of Texas, California and Pennsylvania, but when you take into account population, it completely changes the outlook, Diallo said. Since 1936, when the NFL began to keep accurate roster records, Mississippi has produced 788 NFL players. Or should be. None are bigger than Drew Brees, who threw for 80,358 yards in his NFL career, more yards than any other quarterback in NFL history. Florida State (275) 23. You can only publish select stories individually not as a collection. Help keep the momentum going by rejoining our member community today. Walter Payton, from Columbia and Jackson State, is the NFLs second all-time leading rusher. The most NFL players have come from Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Miami, Florida, and the state of Florida. Among states that have produced at least 15 NFL quarterbacks, Washington has the highest average draft position at 71.3 for its 16 QBs selected in the NFL draft (not counting the supplemental draft). Thats more than much larger states such as New York (7) and New Jersey (6). According to its website, FUMA has produced more than 100 future NFL players, including 12 first-round picks such as Eddie George, Anthony Castonzo and Plaxico Burress. 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). All six of the Nittany Lions' Pro Football Hall of Famers come from those states, including Franco Harris and Jack Ham, who were Penn State teammates and then teammates with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yet Texas leads the U.S. in Super Bowl wins above expectation. Brees also won a Super Bowl (XLIV), was Super Bowl MVP, a 13-time Pro Bowler and a one-time All-Pro. While everything may be bigger in Texas, the Aggies come up small in terms of Pro Football Hall of Famers. We also identified the college football programs that sent the most players to the NFL within those states. Oct 6, 2011, 8:10 AM Historically, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania have been hotbeds for football talent. 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. In third place for most NFL players is California, which gets to claim two legendary players in Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. 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. Arkansas has sent almost 300 players to the NFL. 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. This college has also produced the second-most players in the 2021 season. 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. 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. 4 on the leagues all-time passing yardage list. 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. More than 25 percent of its 98 Pro Bowl selections came from just four defensive backs: Mike Haynes (9), Eric Allen (6), Louis Wright (5) and Darren Woodson (5). So we set out to determine what state produces the most NFL players. For the Cardinals, this evaluation showed us that there was a particularly strong connection to Notre Dame from the 1920s to the 1950s when the team was located in nearby Chicago. Miami - 341 8. Note: Birthplace for 14 players could not immediately be determined. 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. Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. 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. 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. All rights reserved (About Us). 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. Any amount helps us keep producing quality journalism for Mississippi. Then he starred for the Steelers, Ravens, 49ers and Raiders in the NFL. Thanks to a slew of legendary coaches and a tradition . After Georgia the drop-off is significant. That is, the Magnolia State, relatively small and poor in so many ways, kicks tail when it comes to producing football talent. Data was culled from Pro Football Reference to figure out which states have over- or underperformed based on the expected number of NFL quarterbacks produced, decided by population size and the number of Division I programs in a state. The Ohio State University has produced a total of 411 players since the 17th NFL season in 1936. 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. And in 2018 and 2019, one out of four quarterbacks who started Week 1 hailed from the Lone Star State. City of Miami, State of Florida, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School Produce Most NFL Players Which state has most NFL players per capita? The Buckeye State had 78 players in the NFL ranks in 2014. The second-most populous state, Texas also leads the country in a key formula component -- Division I football programs -- with 21, seven more than any other state. is known world wide for having some of the best athletes in the world. The only thing missing from Washingtons NFL alumni is a successful wide receiver. And that team just happens to be the only one that outpaced USC in NFL players produced. In the 1980's, the L.A. Rams featured one of the best NFL running backs of all time in Eric Dickerson, who tore defenses apart and set the league's single season rushing record in 1984. That's reflective of Arizona's NFL history, which includes longtime backup Mike Pagel. Bottom line:Illinois never won a national championship, but the Illini had two of the most iconic players in NFL history. If youre not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and include our website, You cannot republish our editorial cartoons, photographs, illustrations or graphics without specific permission (contact our managing editor. No promotions available. Ohio State's Justin Fields was a five-star recruit at Harrison High. Nor does that number reflect on native Mississippians who should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame such as Charlie Conerly, Kent Hull and Jimmie Giles. Rich Exner, data analysis editor for cleveland.com, writes about numbers on a variety of topics. The population of New York State is nearly 20 million, compared to Mississippis fewer than 3 million. The state of Mississippi has placed the most players in the NFL capita, according to a by Sidelines. Every April, a new crop of young men try to make the leap from college to the pros where they will try to carve out a career for themselves in the NFL. Bottom line:Lots of schools have proclaimed themselves as "DB U" due to the prolific number of defensive backs they have sent to the NFL. Here are some takeaways: - Notre Dame has produced more NFL players than any other college, with 495 athletes going on to play in the NFL. The combination of our local NFL squad picking at the top of the draft, an accomplished alum serving in a major leadership role for a different team, and our general interest in seeing college students start their careers after school really got our team thinking about what it means for these student-athletes who are preparing to drop the student part of that moniker. Mississippi State upends No. What state produces the most NFL players header image. And there are currently no players that were born in the state of Vermont. We also looked at career length to find which colleges players have the longest average careers on different NFL teams. Alabama is ranked first in the country in terms of NFL players per capita, with one NFL player per 74,683 residents. Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. The most notable star to come from the Sunshine State is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. 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. But see who makes up the rest of the top 5 in the state: North Carolina has produced a surprising number of NFL players. The universities to follow Alabama were Ohio State, Florida, Louisiana State and Michigan, all courtesy of its football programs. No matter who you root for, the NFL Draft represents an exciting time in the lives of football fans, one that brings the promise and potential of new talent and new hopes for on-field success. Keep this news free and accessible to all by becoming a member and giving a recurring donation of any amount today. 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. 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. Top 10 States that have produced the greatest NFL quarterbacks Graphic by Ryan Escobar 1. And some make NFL players. 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. That list doesnt even include Cam Newton, who is the NFLs all-time leader in rushing touchdowns for a quarterback. Bottom line: Oregon won a Rose Bowl in their first season in 1916. Here is an in-depth look at the top five states. Despite ranking fifth among all programs in NFL players produced, Penn State doesnt even lead the Big Ten in that regard, or even rank second. This is another program that has experienced its most success in recent years, and only rival Alabama has more active NFL players. You might mention that the next time the Crimson Tide kicks your favorite teams butt, as it has done to Southern Miss (63-14), Ole Miss (42-21) and Mississippi State (49-9) this season. Weve ranked the best NFL-talent producing universities in Texas, California, Florida, North Carolina, and Alabama. Nearly 900 players came from the USC and UCLA campuses (separated by just 11 miles), but the majority of those are singing "Fight On.". The most prolific quarterback state of the 2010s is Florida with nine, including Lamar Jackson and Teddy Bridgewater. That is about 9% of the current active players in the league. Its highest touchdown scorer, Elroy Hirsch, found the end zone just 66 times. In terms of 2018 rosters, however, it comes as no surprise that Alabama, the premier program in college football over the last decade, leads the way with 53 players, enough for an entire official NFL roster, suiting up during the most recent season. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelors in journalism, Rick has worked for the Monroe (La.) North Carolina can claim 121 current NFL players in the league. Will Texas cede its dominance, or will it hold strong as the top NFL-producing state? They both were middle linebackers and played for rival franchises in the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, respectively. And some make NFL players. The answer may surprise you. But the Ducks have had a lot of talent over the years. Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. But the Texas total computes to only 8.5 players per 100,000, about one-third of what Mississippi has produced. Texas surprisingly has no quarterbacks in the Hall of Fame (based on our criteria for players since 1966), and the collective approximate value of the state's QBs is watered down because many are not key contributors (its 62% start average ranked 15th among states with at least 500 games played). The school has produced Pro Bowlers at every other position on the field, but theyve yet to send a receiver to the Pro Bowl or have a receiver post a 1,000-yard season. Only two of the 10 most populous cities in the United States have schools on this list with Phoenixs Arizona State and Los Angeles first entry with UCLA. California alone, at 225 active players, accounts for more than ten percent of NFL players. Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke dominated in the 1960s and '70s, and the Fighting Illinis success also is in yesteryear. Colleges with the most NFL players all time . The Lone Star State produced a plethora of talented quarterbacks, such as Drew Brees, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Ryan Tannehill. This website does not fully support Internet Explorer. Nebraska - 346 6. accurate as of the publish date. In fact, those three states rank 1-2-3 all-time for states where NFL. Bottom line:No program has more wins or a better win percentage since World War II than Oklahoma a testament to the great players who have come through Norman. Here is another area where Notre Dames influence is readily apparent, as they are the top school at seven of the 24 positions we evaluated, including key positions such as quarterback and running back. Once we started looking through historic roster data for various NFL teams, we really didnt want to stop. Thats as many Pro Football Hall of Famers as both Florida State and Georgia have and twice as many as Auburn, Ole Miss and Southern Miss have produced. Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. a proud member of the However, 13 Wolverines have reached 1,000 NFL rushing yards with the latest being the greatest, Tom Brady. BYU's Zach Wilson will be just the sixth Utah QB to play in the NFL, yet somehow he was runner-up in the state's Mr. Football award. But even the most diehard of Notre Dame fans would admit that their best days are well behind them. - Notre Dame, USC, and Ohio State are the schools with the most NFL players in history and the only colleges who have produced 400+ NFL players. 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. Bottom line:The Auburn Tigers are not currently considered an SEC powerhouse, but it wasn't that long ago when they were. However, Nebraska hasnt finished in the top 10 in the final AP poll since the 2001 season, and its once-abundant NFL pipeline has all but dried up. But the program has produced some elite NFL stars. No. News Star World, Jackson Daily News and Clarion Ledger. Mississippi not only produces the most NFL players per capita, but not only that, the state also produced the most Pro Football Hall of Famers per capita, as well, Diallo said. Arkansas (274) 24. All rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. That is more than 1 in every 12 players currently in the league. Thats right, Mississippi, for its population, produces more pro football players than Texas, Florida, California and more than Louisiana and Alabama, as well. One of the first things we found was how many players have ever donned the teams uniform throughout the entirety of the franchises history. 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. Ohio has 71 players in the league followed by Alabama with 61, Virginia with 58 (and that so many played at prep school in that state helps) and North . 3 is Georgia (one in 78,761). Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Miami Hurricane alums rank second in NFL touchdowns scored and fourth in Pro Bowl selections, despite having 60-70 percent of the number of players that the top two schools have produced. Before he expanded to Louisiana and founded his own personal QB franchise, Archie Manning started another unique trend of QB1s from his home state of Mississippi. All four of those states are among the top 10 in producing NFL players, so Penn State is in an ideal location to land top talent. Since 1936, 788 NFL players have come from Mississippi. We prefer Author Name, Mississippi Today in the byline. Here is a breakdown of the states where the most active NFL players were born Sign up for notifications from Insider! Johnson was on that same Arkansas team in 1964 and played defensive end during his college days. 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. 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. Mississippi produces more NFL players per capita than any other state, and its not really that close. It also doesnt count, for instance, a player such as Peyton Manning whose roots are firmly in Mississippi soil and who spent much of his childhood in the Magnolia State. Its one of the most exciting times of the year for football fans around the country. Not only have they sent the most players to the league, but they also have sent the most players to the Pro Football Hall of Fame (14), which is perhaps an even better measure of the talent produced by a program. Colorado . Kiper's two-round mock draft: Top-five trade, record QB haul, Kiper's favorite draft prospects at every position, Biggest question marks for draft's top quarterbacks. 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. Mississippi State has no former players the Pro Football Hall of Fame. While the Razorbacks are no longer the class of the tough SEC, they have won 14 conference championships in program history and brought home a national championship to Fayetteville in 1964. 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. But which high schools are "football factories" like major college programs such as Alabama, Ohio State and USC? 25. In terms of players by decade, the NFL relied heavily on schools from the Midwest such as Notre Dame and Minnesota in the early days, before shifting their focus out west to USC in the 70s and 80s before settling into a varied approach that has seen schools from the Midwest, California, and the Southeast regularly headlining NFL rosters over the last 30 years. With the 2020 season officially underway, CBS unveiled an incredible graphic that shows which states produce the most NFL players. Its quality, as well. 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! Texas A&M led all Texas college football programs with 37 current NFL players, followed by the University of Texas (29), TCU (25), Baylor (23) and Houston (20). He has covered the SEC since 2016. No. A debate between NFL players bubbled up on social media this week when former Galveston Ball High School star Mike Evans proclaimed that Texas high school football produces the best players. They are followed by Florida, Texas, Georgia and then Ohio. Now, Warner's name is synonymous with football in the United States, and Stanford has had a legacy of great passers who went on to shine in the NFL. 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? West Virginia University's Morgantown recruits many of these athletes. Louisiana QBs have nine Super Bowl wins in 14 starts. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. These colleges have produced the most NFL players, and they have a track record of success on the gridiron. By Jackson. How 'bout them Hogs? Three of those Razorbackers became Hall of Famers: wide receiver Lance Alworth, defensive lineman Dan Hampton and free safety Steve Atwater. second most all-time wins in college football history. Jim Druckenmiller. Bottom line: Purdue is one of the oldest college football programs. They have won just two conference titles in the last 35 years, and of their 61 Pro Bowl players, only one was drafted in the last 15 years (Vontae Davis, 2009). Led by Manning and league MVPs Brett Favre and Steve McNair, they made 732 starts in 802 games played (91.3%). Of that 82, 74 are playing in the NFL after spending time at Nick Saban's powerhouse football program. Mississippi State has produced four fewer first-round picks this century than its Egg Bowl rival, Ole Miss, but it's gaining ground on that front . NFL draft picks since 2000: 57. The Penn State Nittany Lions, who began play in 1889, are among the most storied programs in . There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Here's a breakdown of the 10 states with the most NFL players: It's always fun to see which states generate the most NFL talent. LSU - 325 10. At the other end of the spectrum, North Dakota, Delaware, and New Hampshire are each the birthplace of a single player in the NFL.