(You can find them here.). By continuing to navigate this site you are consenting to the collection of information via our use of cookies. 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 most notable star to come from the Sunshine State is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Ohio State University has produced a total of 411 players since the 17th NFL season in 1936. A total of 721 quarterbacks have debuted and played at least one game in the NFL during the Super Bowl era (since 1966), and the Bayou State outperformed expectations the most in a study by ESPN and Pro Football Reference. You make the call. Bottom line:Flordia had recent success under Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer, but doesnt have decades of dominance under its belt and didnt become an elite program until the 1990s. You have to credit Mississippi Today. 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. Nevertheless, with names like Bo Jackson, Ronnie Brown, and Stephen Davis, the Tigers have been a football factory at producing NFL running backs. Help keep the momentum going by rejoining our member community today. 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. Stay up to date with what you want to know. There are 151 NFL players that came from colleges across California. Heres how the rest of the list shakes out: The college football landscape is already taking shape for the 2022-23 season. 211 current NFL players came from a school in Texas. 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). 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 views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not 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. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Alabama (17) was a distant fifth. Heres a breakdown of every states active NFL players. The District of Columbia, with one NFL player for every 54,702 residents, has the most NFL players per capita. had produced 63 NFL players, the most among the nation . 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. In fact, those three states rank 1-2-3 all-time for states where NFL. 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. Bottom line:1980 was a landmark year for the Georgia Bulldogs football program as they claimed their first national championship while riding the legs of Herschel Walker. Another amazing fact: Jackson State, alone, has produced four Hall of Famers, three of them native Mississippians. They grew up just 10 minutes from each other in Chicago and are universally known by their surnames: Butkus and Nitschke. Brett Favre, from Kiln and Southern Miss, is No. 1. Weve looked at the top states for producing NFL players, but how about the most successful schools within those states? 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. A cleveland.com review of opening week. By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with Mississippi Today. Notre Dames lack of recent success bears out in the number of active players the Irish have in the NFL. The most NFL players have come from Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Miami, Florida, and the state of Florida. Bottom line: The California Golden Bears have been playing football since 1916. Here's a breakdown of the 10 states with the most NFL. 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. Notre Dame and USC were actually tied for the most draft selections ever entering the 2021 draft with 511. Which Schools Have the Most NFL Players? Bottom line: Tennessee makes up for its lack of quantity (13th in all-time players and 19th in active players) with quality (fifth in Pro Bowl selections). Most touchdowns in NFL: James Lofton (76), Most games played in NFL: John Elway (234). Several prestigious Texas programs have contributed to the current NFL talent pool. About 20 miles on I-75 separate the Georgia high school homes of two of the draft's top QB prospects. Texas ranks last in ESPN's QB formula because of the expectations given the state's resources. Despite that, Washington has attracted many of the top players in the nation and its reach goes beyond its Seattle campus. 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. That is, the Magnolia State, relatively small and poor in so many ways, kicks tail when it comes to producing football talent. 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. necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. 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. 20 college football teams we aren't sold on in 2023, SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Mizzou shocks Tennessee, Alabama downs Auburn and more, SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Alabama stays unbeaten in SEC play, Tennessee outlasts Auburn and more, SEC Basketball Power Rankings: A new top team emerges, Alabama loses in blowout fashion, Mizzou lights it up again. But see who makes up the rest of the top 5 in the state: North Carolina has produced a surprising number of NFL players. Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. That list doesnt even include Cam Newton, who is the NFLs all-time leader in rushing touchdowns for a quarterback. Looking at the current NFL landscape, Action Network was able to identify several hot spots where top talent came from. With your help, we've gotten a lot done but we're not finished yet! Others create politicians. So, it is no surprise to see them on this list. Will Texas cede its dominance, or will it hold strong as the top NFL-producing state? 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. Of the 16 Tigers to make at least one All-Pro first team, 11 were offensive players including Hall of Famers Y.A. Would we Mississippians rather be ranked No. 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. Action Network analyzed each NFL teams current roster to identify the state and university each of their players came from. Their list of 10 Hall of Famers is sure to grow in the near future as Larry Fitzgerald, Darrelle Revis and Aaron Donald likely will receive their gold jackets one day. Nick Saban has given NFL franchises 29 first-round picks during his time as Alabama's head coach 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 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. That's the highest start percentage of any state with at least 400 games played. California alone, at 225 active players, accounts for more than ten percent of NFL players. Their time will come. For a better experience, please consider using a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. California ranked second among all U.S. states with 151 players drafted. But that is debatable. Follow on Twitter @RichExner or see previous stories at cleveland.com/datacentral. Editorial cartoons and photo essays are not included under the Creative Commons license and therefore do not have the "Republish This Story" button option. After Georgia the drop-off is significant. But Michigan also has struggled when it comes to skill position players 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? We do not sell or share your information with anyone. From there, we ranked which state currently has produced the most NFL players. These colleges have produced the most NFL players, and they have a track record of success on the gridiron. In the 1950s, 69 Spartans were drafted into the NFL, compared to just 59 from 2000 to 2019. How 'bout them Cowboys? 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. We are particularly interested in which colleges have been the most successful at sending players to the pros. Oct 6, 2011, 8:10 AM Historically, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania have been hotbeds for football talent. 4-year graduation rate: 90%. For the Cardinals, this means that Georgia Tech and Duke footballers last the longest with the franchise at nearly four seasons on average. 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. Bledsoe, the No. This makes up 2.79% of the NFL. It's no surprise the schools that dominate on Saturdays see their alumni playing on Sundays. The only thing missing from Washingtons NFL alumni is a successful wide receiver. Since 1936, when the NFL began to keep accurate roster records, Mississippi has produced 788 NFL players. He might be No. And where does the 2021 NFL draft class of quarterbacks come from? But the Texas total computes to only 8.5 players per 100,000, about one-third of what Mississippi has produced. Heres the breakdown: There are three colleges that have dominated Florida football for decades. Be sure to visit the Action Networks NCAAF Odds page each week to the lay of the land for betting lines. Out of all colleges, Notre Dame has produced 521 players selected in the NFL draft. But great players in Norman havent translated to great players in the NFL. Newman had Peyton and Eli Manning, and Westlake's Drew Brees and Nick Foles also led world champions. 3 is Georgia (one in 78,761). 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. Louisiana is famous for its Cajun food, jazz music, Mardi Gras -- and quarterbacks. However, players of that caliber have been few and far between in recent years as the majority of Michigan States NFL alums played in the early days of the NFL. 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. 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. It features arguably the most successful college football program in history. 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. In fact, 12 of their Pro Bowl players played either running back or fullback. Nearly 900 players came from the USC and UCLA campuses (separated by just 11 miles), but the majority of those are singing "Fight On.". 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. Though it might surprise some fans, the state of Florida actually has the most current NFL players. We do not target any individuals under the age of 21. You may have been obsessed with becoming You may have already come across the term senioritis while in high school, and perhaps youve dealt with a bout of it already as you prepared for your high school graduation. The one thing lacking from The Ohio States NFL resume is a great, or even good, or even above-average, quarterback. Bottom line:Illinois never won a national championship, but the Illini had two of the most iconic players in NFL history. Clemson's Trevor Lawrence went 52-2 as a starter at Cartersville High, winning two state titles. You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. They often get those TV slots since their players will be playing in the NFL in a few years. 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. And in 2018 and 2019, one out of four quarterbacks who started Week 1 hailed from the Lone Star State. 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. Twelve of the 22 Washington QBs came from the greater Seattle area. Kelly never got the program to the promised land, and Oregon still is searching for its first national championship. 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. 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. Bottom line: Arkansas has a great football tradition. But even the most diehard of Notre Dame fans would admit that their best days are well behind them. And giving them three is a bit generous since Troy Aikman started his career at OU, but finished it at UCLA. Our site uses cookies to personalize content, to provide social media features/ads and to analyze site traffic. 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. The Buckeye State had 78 players in the NFL ranks in 2014. 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. But which high schools are "football factories" like major college programs such as Alabama, Ohio State and USC? Its not just quantity were talking about either. 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. First-rounders: 6. At the other end of the spectrum, North Dakota, Delaware, and New Hampshire are each the birthplace of a single player in the NFL. 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. 2023 www.clarionledger.com. 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. Colleges with the most NFL players all time . However, 13 Wolverines have reached 1,000 NFL rushing yards with the latest being the greatest, Tom Brady. The schools other Hall of Famers are quarterback Bobby Layne, running back Earl Campbell and defensive back Bobby Dillon. Fortunately for the Sooners, Adrian Peterson is sure to increase that number five years after he retires. Many may not think of the Tar Heel State as a football-dominant state, but they sure know how to produce top-talent. Walter Payton, from Columbia and Jackson State, is the NFLs second all-time leading rusher. - 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. Most touchdowns in NFL: Lance Alworth (87), Most games played in NFL: Jason Peters (238). Pennsylvania - 443.4 But that number dropped to 28 in 2022, due to some lean years for the Seminoles. 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. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. But the Texas total computes to only 8.5 players per 100,000, about one-third of what Mississippi has produced. Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports shared a chart on Twitter on Thursday that breaks down which states have the most NFL players per capita. Heres the top five schools for sending players to the pros: There are five schools who that dominate when it comes to producing NFL talent in California. City of Miami, State of Florida, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School Produce Most NFL Players Which state has most NFL players per capita? The remaining seven states to crack the top 10 are Georgia, Ohio, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, North Carolina 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. Remember, were talking about per capita here. 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. News Star World, Jackson Daily News and Clarion Ledger. When you factor in population, the state produces 26.6 pro football players for every 100,000 people. The 2022 season has seen 58 active players from the Alabama lineage. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. The Lone Star State produced a plethora of talented quarterbacks, such as Drew Brees, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Ryan Tannehill. 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. It's no surprise the schools that dominate on Saturdays see their alumni playing on Sundays. They are from Pro Football Reference and through the 2022 NFL season. 2 is Louisiana (one in 76,837) .. No. 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. Chris Spencer (center for Tennessee Titans), Jamarca Sanford (defensive back for Minnesota Vikings) and Damien Lewis (offensive line for Seattle Seahawks) are all outstanding players from Mississippi. 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 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 Florida State is rising up the ranks, and of its four Hall of Famers, three have been enshrined in Canton this decade. California, with 141 quarterbacks, is tops in the union with 14 Super Bowl wins in 25 starts, three Hall of Famers, seven No. 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. 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. 13 Texas A&M at Kyle Field. 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. 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).