While everything may be bigger in Texas, the Aggies come up small in terms of Pro Football Hall of Famers. During your secondary school years, you likely had a little One of the most common questions students hear is, What do you want to be when you grow up? For many individuals that answer is subject to change over time. Bottom line: Oregon won a Rose Bowl in their first season in 1916. Top 10 States that have produced the greatest NFL quarterbacks Graphic by Ryan Escobar 1. Of those, 74 have made it to the big game, with three former Buckeyes making four Super Bowl appearances each.. Weve ranked the best NFL-talent producing universities in Texas, California, Florida, North Carolina, and Alabama. Bottom line: Purdue is one of the oldest college football programs. Will Texas cede its dominance, or will it hold strong as the top NFL-producing state? 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. 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. 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. 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. 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). 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. 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. Its highest touchdown scorer, Elroy Hirsch, found the end zone just 66 times. But well take what we can get. 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. 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. 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. 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 . So we set out to determine what state produces the most NFL players. necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. 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. California, with 141 quarterbacks, is tops in the union with 14 Super Bowl wins in 25 starts, three Hall of Famers, seven No. Here is a breakdown of the states where the most active NFL players were born Sign up for notifications from Insider! We believe that an informed Mississippi is a better Mississippi. We prefer Author Name, Mississippi Today in the byline. Led by Manning and league MVPs Brett Favre and Steve McNair, they made 732 starts in 802 games played (91.3%). Here are the universities cultivating the talent: In Alabama, theres no denying which school is best at producing professional football players. Still, they dont have decades of winning traditions, which is why they fall a little lower on this list than many might expect. 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. 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. Together these seven states are the birthplaces of 846 NFL players. Would we Mississippians rather be ranked No. Bottom line: Smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania, Penn State isnt far from Ohio, New York and New Jersey. 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. It's no surprise the schools that dominate on Saturdays see their alumni playing on Sundays. Alabama, Ohio State, and LSU have been at the forefront of the supply chain of great talent for the NFL. Always has. With both expected to be top picks in the draft, Georgia will soon have 19 NFL quarterbacks. 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. 2023 www.clarionledger.com. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider In the City of Miami, State of Florida, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School produces the most NFL players. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 Action Network Inc, All Rights Reserved.Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | AdChoices. Most touchdowns in NFL: Lance Alworth (87), Most games played in NFL: Jason Peters (238). The school has just one first-round NFL pick since the 2011 season with Prince Amukamara going 19th overall in that years draft. The sheer size of California and the number of universities within it has propelled the state to #2 on the list. His work as a syndicated columnist and celebrated sports writer has appeared in numerous magazines, periodicals and newspapers. After all, our hometown Arizona Cardinals have the first overall pick! So we set out to determine what state produces the most NFL players. 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. Notre Dame, USC, and Ohio State have produced 400 or more NFL players in history. You make the call. 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. Louisiana QBs have nine Super Bowl wins in 14 starts. Note: All figures are NFL stats for players. The District of Columbia, with one NFL player for every 54,702 residents, has the most NFL players per capita. And now, theres even data that would appear to back it up. The Boilermakers started playing football in 1892 and have sent big names to the NFL. 211 current NFL players came from a school in Texas. 3 is Georgia (one in 78,761). 2 is Louisiana (one in 76,837) .. No. 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. Many of the schools on this list are poised to send another great class of rookies to the NFL next season. SEC schools continually churn out the most NFL talent. You have to credit Mississippi Today. And where does the 2021 NFL draft class of quarterbacks come from? Rounding out the top five are USC (479), Ohio State (426), Penn State (359), and Nebraska (346). Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. By continuing to navigate this site you are consenting to the collection of information via our use of cookies. 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. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. We center readers in everything we do, informingand engagingMississippians through reporting, podcasts, events and online communities. 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). Louisiana is famous for its Cajun food, jazz music, Mardi Gras -- and quarterbacks. 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. But that is debatable. 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. 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. 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. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Half the players on NFL rosters are from just seven states, with Ohio being among the top producers of pro football talent. The Sooners have only three Hall of Famers. The Longhorns are no longer on top, and they are chasing Oklahoma for Big 12 supremacy in terms of NFL players produced. Those three states currently have 597 players in the NFL. USC - 479 3. North Carolina State has never been to a BCS bowl and hasn't won an ACC title since 1979. The Buckeye State had 78 players in the NFL ranks in 2014. However, 13 Wolverines have reached 1,000 NFL rushing yards with the latest being the greatest, Tom Brady. Alabama rounds out the top 5 with 109 active NFL players. In fact, 12 of their Pro Bowl players played either running back or fullback. is known world wide for having some of the best athletes in the world. California ranked second among all U.S. states with 151 players drafted. These rankings are based on rosters published by Stats LLC on Monday afternoon, three days before the start of the season. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. . Brees also won a Super Bowl (XLIV), was Super Bowl MVP, a 13-time Pro Bowler and a one-time All-Pro. In fact, those three states rank 1-2-3 all-time for states where NFL players were born. They are from Pro Football Reference and through the 2022 NFL season. Ohio State is just one of three colleges to produce more than 400 NFL players. Thats a no-brainer. If you feel like you're losing control over your gambling experience, call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA, WV), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-888- 532-3500(Virginia) 1-800-522-4700 (NV, TN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, TN), 1-855-2CALLGA (IL), 1-800-270-7117 (MI). We limited this data to schools who have had at least five players make the all-time roster to weed out one-off outlier players. 4 on the leagues all-time passing yardage list. In Ohio, Cuyahoga County alone is the birthplace of 17 players. Even though Florida has had over 385 former Gators suit up in the NFL, none of those players were ever drafted first overall out of UF. 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. Which state has the highest average draft position for quarterbacks? The Ohio State University has produced a total of 411 players since the 17th NFL season in 1936. We are particularly interested in which colleges have been the most successful at sending players to the pros. Alabama (17) was a distant fifth. Meanwhile, the Magnolia State has plenty to celebrate when it comes to football or writers and entertainers, for that matter. But Florida State is rising up the ranks, and of its four Hall of Famers, three have been enshrined in Canton this decade. 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. 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 Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. Highest AV in NFL: Randall McDaniel (129), Most touchdowns in NFL: Charley Taylor (90), Most games played in NFL: Terrell Suggs (244). The school has produced at least one player from every season of NFL football since the league resumed play in 2012. Which city has the most NFL players in 2020? That's the highest start percentage of any state with at least 400 games played. Ohio, a traditional Midwest football-mad state, is fifth on the list in terms of NFL players. After starring at Snider High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Woodson stayed close to home and became an All-American for the Boilermakers. 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. You could say it all started with the godfather of football, Pop Warner. 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. 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. Ohio State's Justin Fields was a five-star recruit at Harrison High. 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. 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! Louisiana, which doesn't have. Their time will come. 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. No. 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. Once we started looking through historic roster data for various NFL teams, we really didnt want to stop. But that number dropped to 28 in 2022, due to some lean years for the Seminoles. 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 Ducks didn't win another "Granddaddy" until 2011, when Chip Kelly and his high-flying offense beat Wisconsin 45-38. This makes up 2.79% of the NFL. North Dakota State's Trey Lance could be the first Minnesota QB selected in the first round. Since 1936, when the NFL began to keep accurate roster records, Mississippi has produced 788 NFL players. When you factor in population, the state produces 26.6 pro football players for every 100,000 people. 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. U.S. News rank: 57 (tie), National Universities. Action Network's list of the top 10 states with the most active NFL players is listed below. 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. In 2016, Favre became the ninth native Mississippian inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Pennsylvania - 443.4 Our site uses cookies to personalize content, to provide social media features/ads and to analyze site traffic. Newman had Peyton and Eli Manning, and Westlake's Drew Brees and Nick Foles also led world champions. Alabama - 319 What College Has The Most NFL Players - 2019 Alabama - 53 LSU - 51 Ohio State - 46 USC - 44 Miami - 43 Florida - 43 LSUs alums rank fifth all-time in touchdowns scored, with most of their best players lining up on the offensive side of the ball. Iowas defense-heavy mindset seemed to carry on to all of its NFL players as they come up on the short end of touchdowns scored in the NFL. Coming in at second for most NFL players on Week 1 rosters is Texas. They are followed by Florida, Texas, Georgia and then Ohio. Most touchdowns in NFL: LeGarrette Blount (58), Most games played in NFL: George Martin (201). The most prolific quarterback state of the 2010s is Florida with nine, including Lamar Jackson and Teddy Bridgewater. 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. 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:Illinois never won a national championship, but the Illini had two of the most iconic players in NFL history. Check out the full list of 721 quarterbacks divided by state here. Remember, were talking about per capita here. The GLIAC has the most active NFL players with 10, followed by the Mid-America conference with 9. What state produces the most NFL players header image. Rod Woodson already has a gold jacket and is the greatest Purdue football alum not named Brees. But Michigan also has struggled when it comes to skill position players in the NFL. 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. 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. Be sure to visit the Action Networks NCAAF Odds page each week to the lay of the land for betting lines. Evans . The state that produced dynamic personalities such as Favre and Gardner Minshew found a way to make an impression. Don Majkowski. Any sources cited were That would be Grand Canyon University Athletics Hall of Fame member and Antelopes basketball legend Kevin Warren, who has been an executive for multiple NFL teams stretching back to the 1990s. Unfortunately, the two never shared a backfield while at Iowa, or maybe thats fortunate for opposing quarterbacks. Despite that, Washington has attracted many of the top players in the nation and its reach goes beyond its Seattle campus. Bottom line:The Auburn Tigers are not currently considered an SEC powerhouse, but it wasn't that long ago when they were. 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. The population of New York State is nearly 20 million, compared to Mississippis fewer than 3 million. That is more than 1 in every 12 players currently in the league. 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. Rick has been recognized 13 times as Mississippi Sports Writer of the Year, and is recipient of multiple awards and honors for his reporting and writing. Warner collected 71 of his 311 career college wins at Stanford and changed the game with the forward pass. So we didnt. But now, Florida has joined them as one of the three biggest producers of NFL talent. Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke dominated in the 1960s and '70s, and the Fighting Illinis success also is in yesteryear. 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. But the Texas total computes to only 8.5 players per 100,000, about one-third of what Mississippi has produced. Colorado . This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 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. Eleven ZIP codes have produced three NFL QBs, and 60 can boast two. Texas has produced more active NFL players than any other U.S. state. 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. We also took the combined data we had gathered and made a slightly different graphic for the entire history of the NFL. 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. The Sunshine State comes in at #3 with 149 total players in the NFL. That is, the Magnolia State, relatively small and poor in so many ways, kicks tail when it comes to producing football talent. That is more than 30 percent of all active players listed Pro-Football-Reference.com. The University of Alabama has produced the most pro athletes out of college, though, with 82. This is another program that has experienced its most success in recent years, and only rival Alabama has more active NFL players. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images). These five state's account for close to 50% of. They both were middle linebackers and played for rival franchises in the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, respectively. 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. Heres how the rest of the list shakes out: The college football landscape is already taking shape for the 2022-23 season. 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. More:Mississippi State upends No. 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. Ousmane Diallo, a data analyst for Rise at Seven, led a team of five that did the research and tallied the results. Oct 6, 2011, 8:10 AM Historically, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania have been hotbeds for football talent. Jim Druckenmiller. These colleges have produced the most NFL players, and they have a track record of success on the gridiron. 13 Texas A&M at Kyle Field. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not 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. 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. 4-year graduation rate: 66%. 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.