64 overall) of the San Diego Chargers in the 1973 NFL draft. 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. Newman had Peyton and Eli Manning, and Westlake's Drew Brees and Nick Foles also led world champions. Mississippi State upends No. 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. Others create politicians. 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. Louisiana, which doesn't have. That's reflective of Arizona's NFL history, which includes longtime backup Mike Pagel. Many of the schools on this list are poised to send another great class of rookies to the NFL next season. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelors in journalism, Rick has worked for the Monroe (La.) In terms of schools that have produced the most NFL players all-time, Notre Dame just edged out USC for the top spot, with Ohio State joining those historic programs as the only ones to send more than 400 players to the NFL. Its one of the most exciting times of the year for football fans around the country. In the college game, Tennessee has fallen off over the last 20 years, recording just two top-10 finish over that span. With both expected to be top picks in the draft, Georgia will soon have 19 NFL quarterbacks. It features arguably the most successful college football program in history. Arkansas has sent almost 300 players to the NFL. The Longhorns are no longer on top, and they are chasing Oklahoma for Big 12 supremacy in terms of NFL players produced. Alabama rounds out the top 5 with 109 active NFL players. 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). 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. So we set out to determine what state produces the most NFL players. That is more than 30 percent of all active players listed Pro-Football-Reference.com. Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports shared a chart on Twitter on Thursday that breaks down which states have the most NFL players per capita. U.S. News rank: 57 (tie), National Universities. We believe that an informed Mississippi is a better Mississippi. The data was analyzed through the lenses of number of quarterbacks, Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Super Bowl wins and NFL approximate value (AV). After Georgia the drop-off is significant. Ohio State's Justin Fields was a five-star recruit at Harrison High. That is, the Magnolia State, relatively small and poor in so many ways, kicks tail when it comes to producing football talent. The state of California has produced the most players in today's NFL. Nebraska,. By continuing to navigate this site you are consenting to the collection of information via our use of cookies. Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. West Virginia University's Morgantown recruits many of these athletes. Texas has produced more active NFL players than any other U.S. state. 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. Three legendary Cal stars are quarterback Aaron Rodgers, tight end Tony Gonzalez and running back Marshawn Lynch. Ohio, a traditional Midwest football-mad state, is fifth on the list in terms of NFL players. 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. 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. In the 1950s, 69 Spartans were drafted into the NFL, compared to just 59 from 2000 to 2019. 211 current NFL players came from a school in Texas. Thats right, Mississippi, for its population, produces more pro football players than Texas, Florida, California and more than Louisiana and Alabama, as well. . California has been strong in its quarterback production in every decade, leading the way in the 1970s, '80s and '90s (based on the final year of high school for each QB). 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. Will Furrer. The captain of Oregon's all-time NFL team is Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts, a third-round pick (No. Any school would be proud if their NFL alumni base started and ended with those names -- but at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia, that's just five of the quarterbacks who attended the boarding school before playing in the NFL. The University of Alabama has produced the most pro athletes out of college, though, with 82. Notably, however, LSU was the school most represented on the 2018 Cardinals roster. He has covered the SEC since 2016. Bledsoe, the No. Second is California with 187, followed by Texas (160), Georgia (97), Ohio (80), Pennsylvania (66) and Louisiana (63). Bottom line: Purdue is one of the oldest college football programs. Florida was also the home of superstars like Dalvin Cook, Amari Cooper, Lavonte David, Derrick Henry, Calvin Ridley and Matthew Stafford. Or should be. Most touchdowns in NFL: James Lofton (76), Most games played in NFL: John Elway (234). Switzer was a center, linebacker, and captain of the 1959 team that won the Southwest Conference and Gator Bowl. Despite all of that success in the defensive backfield, the Sun Devils never have won a national championship, making them just one of six teams on this list without a natty. 4 on the leagues all-time passing yardage list. USC - 479 3. No school has more active NFL players than Alabamas 77, and that doesnt even include its 10 players taken in the 2019 draft, which was the most of any school. A study conducted by Grand Canyon University found that Notre Dame has produced the most players in NFL history, with 495 of the league's 25,453 all-time players coming out of the school. That is more than 1 in every 12 players currently in the league. But great players in Norman havent translated to great players in the NFL. Louisiana is famous for its Cajun food, jazz music, Mardi Gras -- and quarterbacks. Ohio State - 426 4. Several prestigious Texas programs have contributed to the current NFL talent pool. 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 list doesnt even include Cam Newton, who is the NFLs all-time leader in rushing touchdowns for a quarterback. LSUs alums rank fifth all-time in touchdowns scored, with most of their best players lining up on the offensive side of the ball. 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. While ranking 22nd in all-time NFL players, Auburn ranks 23rd in active players after ranking eighth in 2019, pointing to their recent struggles. Bottom line:No list about football would be complete without the state of Texas, and the Longhorn State lands its first of two proficient programs. This site .css-110721q{color:#0079F0;}contains commercial content. The most prolific quarterback state of the 2010s is Florida with nine, including Lamar Jackson and Teddy Bridgewater. 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. 1 overall picks and 6,532 TD passes. The Cornhuskers have won more games against Power 5 opponents than any other school in history, and their dominance stretches from the early 20th century all the way to the 1990s. Together these seven states are the birthplaces of 846 NFL players. In terms of schools that have produced the most NFL players all-time, Notre Dame just edged out USC for the top spot, with Ohio State joining those historic programs as the only ones to send more than 400 players to the NFL. Rick Cleveland, a native of Hattiesburg and resident of Jackson, has been Mississippi Todays sports columnist since 2016. 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). The state also produced Richard Sherman, Tyron Smith, Bobby Wagner and several other stars. 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). North Carolina can claim 121 current NFL players in the league. The Buckeye never have had a Pro Bowl quarterback, never had a QB start all 16 games in an NFL season and never even had one throw for 3,000 yards in a season. 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 played. And where does the 2021 NFL draft class of quarterbacks come from? Woodson has a Super Bowl ring, 71 career interceptions, 11 Pro Bowls and six All-Pro honors. All 11 of the school's conference championships have come under Spurrier and Meyer, who made Gainesville a pipeline to the NFL unlike previous coaches. Subscribe to get the latest insight from Mel Kiper Jr., Todd McShay and all of our experts heading into the NFL draft, plus thousands of your favorite sporting events. Editorial cartoons and photo essays are not included under the Creative Commons license and therefore do not have the "Republish This Story" button option. Florida State (275) 23. 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. 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. (You can find them here.). Here are the universities cultivating the talent: In Alabama, theres no denying which school is best at producing professional football players. Bottom line: The California Golden Bears have been playing football since 1916. Warner collected 71 of his 311 career college wins at Stanford and changed the game with the forward pass. The only thing UCLA is missing is an elite NFL receiver since theyve had Pro Bowlers at every position except out wide. These colleges have produced the most NFL players, and they have a track record of success on the gridiron. Stay up to date with what you want to know. One of the exciting things about going to college is that youll have the opportunity to direct the course of your own education. Ohio State is just one of three colleges to produce more than 400 NFL players. Fortunately for the Sooners, Adrian Peterson is sure to increase that number five years after he retires. And in 2018 and 2019, one out of four quarterbacks who started Week 1 hailed from the Lone Star State. Texas is a football crazy state where towns live and die by their local teams at every level. Time will tell! Notre Dame, USC, and Ohio State have produced 400 or more NFL players in 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. Additionally, Miami wins the all-important Battle for Florida since it has more Pro Bowl selections (181) than Florida State (103) and Florida (89). 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). Some regions of the country, though, have become well known for regularly producing NFL-caliber talent. Thats a no-brainer. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. With the 2020 season officially underway, CBS unveiled an incredible graphic that shows which states produce the most NFL players. Of those, 74 have made it to the big game, with three former Buckeyes making four Super Bowl appearances each.. No. And that team just happens to be the only one that outpaced USC in NFL players produced. Jim Druckenmiller. 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. 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. pic.twitter.com/bxIOhq6fqz, Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) September 13, 2018. Which ZIP code has produced the most NFL quarterbacks? This website does not fully support Internet Explorer. Michigan - 346 7. Alabama is ranked first in the country in terms of NFL players per capita, with one NFL player per 74,683 residents. 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. . There are 151 NFL players that came from colleges across California. Florida, California, Texas, Georgia and Ohio are the states where the most NFL players were born, based on rosters the Monday before the start of the 2016 season, cleveland.com research found. Will Texas cede its dominance, or will it hold strong as the top NFL-producing state? Any amount helps us keep producing quality journalism for Mississippi. 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. Champ Bailey, Hines Ward, Terrell Davis, Todd Gurley, Geno Atkins and more helped re-establish the Bulldogs as an SEC powerhouse and also left indelible marks in the NFL. Most touchdowns in NFL: Lance Alworth (87), Most games played in NFL: Jason Peters (238). By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Bottom line: Smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania, Penn State isnt far from Ohio, New York and New Jersey. 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. 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. That group includes former No. 1. 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 the Ducks have had a lot of talent over the years. But in recent years, the states that are football factories has shifted a little. At present he serves the Minnesota Vikings as their Chief Operating Officer, making him one of the highest-ranking executives in the organization with the 18th pick in this years draft. Would we Mississippians rather be ranked No. 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. Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. Follow on Twitter @RichExner or see previous stories at cleveland.com/datacentral. City of Miami, State of Florida, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School Produce Most NFL Players Which state has most NFL players per capita? Be sure to visit the Action Networks NCAAF Odds page each week to the lay of the land for betting lines. The schools other Hall of Famers are quarterback Bobby Layne, running back Earl Campbell and defensive back Bobby Dillon. Bottom line:Whether or not Notre Dame is the greatest program in NCAA history is up for debate, but theres no denying the impact that the Fighting Irish football program has had on the NFL. 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 . Kelly never got the program to the promised land, and Oregon still is searching for its first national championship. 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. While USC comes up second on this list (for now), the Trojans rank first with a staggering 239 Pro Bowl selections. In third place for most NFL players is California, which gets to claim two legendary players in Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. 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. However, 13 Wolverines have reached 1,000 NFL rushing yards with the latest being the greatest, Tom Brady. Washington is 10th overall in our rankings thanks in large part to Drew Bledsoe, Chris Chandler, Mark Rypien and Jon Kitna, whose careers have the highest approximate values among the state's 22 QBs. Always has. Colorado . Brees also won a Super Bowl (XLIV), was Super Bowl MVP, a 13-time Pro Bowler and a one-time All-Pro. NFL Players By College - Overall Top 10 All-Time 1. 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. In the City of Miami, State of Florida, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School produces the most NFL players. With Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, Georgia will get a boost after the 2021 draft, climbing into the top five for the 2010s with six NFL quarterbacks. A cleveland.com review of opening week rosters found Florida leads with the way with 193 players, based on the place of birth of each player. While some schools are known for producing CEOs or millionaires, these 10 colleges have the most NFL players on active rosters, according to NCAA data. 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. The population of New York State is nearly 20 million, compared to Mississippis fewer than 3 million. Nick Saban has given NFL franchises 29 first-round picks during his time as Alabama's head coach Action Network makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event. Which state has the highest average draft position for quarterbacks? 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. 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. Westlake (Austin, Texas) High and Isidore Newman (New Orleans) School represent the only two ZIP codes in the country to produce multiple Super Bowl-winning starting quarterbacks. 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). More:Mississippi State upends No. Bottom line:While many of the aforementioned schools have had recent success but not decades of winning, the exact opposite can be said for Nebraska. Coach Urban Meyer preparing players for the NFL also was a huge attraction as many of those 65 players came under his tenure. 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). (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images). Pitt has produced the best defensive lineman in a generation in Aaron Donald, but the DLU rsum increased in 2021 too, with three players selected in this year's draft. Bottom line:Most people think of Michigan State as a basketball school, but the Spartans are one of the best football programs in the nation in producing elite receivers. The Alabama Crimson Tide has produced the most NFL players out of all college football teams. Yet Texas leads the U.S. in Super Bowl wins above expectation. California, with 141 quarterbacks, is tops in the union with 14 Super Bowl wins in 25 starts, three Hall of Famers, seven No. Note: All figures are NFL stats for players. By state, NFL training-camp rosters had 336 former Texas high school players, 293 from Florida, 285 from California and 232 from Georgia. 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. And while not everyone can get their name called to start a professional football career, everyone can set themselves up for a successful career in another field with the help of a quality education like the one you will receive at Grand Canyon University. But the program has produced some elite NFL stars. We prefer Author Name, Mississippi Today in the byline. 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? Arkansas (274) 24. In fact, since Saban became coach in 2007, the Crimson Tide have more first-round picks (39) than losses (27). And that Mississippi number doesnt count such NFL legends as Ray Guy, Robert Brazile and Gene Hickerson, who played their college ball in Mississippi after growing up in nearby states. That Mississippi led all other states, said Diallo, was the part we found super interesting.. 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. Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. 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. Highest AV in NFL: Randall McDaniel (129), Most touchdowns in NFL: Charley Taylor (90), Most games played in NFL: Terrell Suggs (244). And there are currently no players that were born in the state of Vermont. You make the call. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. The rest of the country and other places around the world are home to 838 players. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. 13 Texas A&M at Kyle Field, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. But one school often overlooked in this conversation is Arizona State. Total enrollment in fall 2021: 13,139. Finally, we broke out every player by position and school to find which schools have produced the most players at specific positions for every NFL team. 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. Founded in 2016 as the states first nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom, Mississippi Todays roots in Capitol coverage have grown to encompass a myriad of beats beyond politics and policy, including education, public health, justice, environment, equity, and, yes, sports. While not every former SEC player is from the state where they went to college, many of them did choose to stay close to home, either in their own state or a state close by. The Boilermakers started playing football in 1892 and have sent big names to the NFL. Heres how the rest of the list shakes out: The college football landscape is already taking shape for the 2022-23 season. 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. While everything may be bigger in Texas, the Aggies come up small in terms of Pro Football Hall of Famers. 25. Troy Aikman, Jonathan Ogden and Jimmy Johnson all have rejected USC for Westwood and currently reside in the Hall of Fame. The only thing missing from Alabamas NFL resume is a shutdown cornerback. But even the most diehard of Notre Dame fans would admit that their best days are well behind them. Of those 1,800+ players, the school that has produced the most Cardinals is Notre Dame, with an even 50, well ahead of LSU in second place. What college has the most NFL players all time? Some regions of the country, though, have become well known for regularly producing NFL-caliber talent. In Georgia, one NFL player is played for every 81,409 people, while in Florida, one is played for every 91,847 people. 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. This makes up 2.79% of the NFL. These colleges have produced the most NFL players, and they have a track record of success on the gridiron. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 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. 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. 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. 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. Despite putting 54 defensive backs in the NFL, including 14 first-rounders, no Bama corner has ever made a Pro Bowl. Notre Dames lack of recent success bears out in the number of active players the Irish have in the NFL. The higher the AV, the greater the career he had. All rights reserved. Thats more than much larger states such as New York (7) and New Jersey (6). California alone, at 225 active players, accounts for more than ten percent of NFL players. Rounding out the top five are USC (479), Ohio State (426), Penn State (359), and Nebraska (346). 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." Bottom line:Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Buckeyes' NFL credentials is that they rank second in active players with 65. The most NFL players have come from Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Miami, Florida, and the state of Florida. 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. Perhaps a surprise to some, North Carolina takes the fourth spot. Its not just quantity were talking about either. In Ohio, Cuyahoga County alone is the birthplace of 17 players. California ranked second among all U.S. states with 151 players drafted.
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