Heres how the rest of the list shakes out: The college football landscape is already taking shape for the 2022-23 season. You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. Nebraska, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Alabama round out the top five. Notre Dame, USC, and Ohio State have produced 400 or more NFL players in history. But see who makes up the rest of the top 5 in the state: North Carolina has produced a surprising number of NFL players. What college has the most NFL players all time? 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. But the Texas total computes to only 8.5 players per 100,000, about one-third of what Mississippi has produced. For more information on our cookie collection and use please visit our Privacy Policy. Louisiana, which doesn't have. Rich Exner, data analysis editor for cleveland.com, writes about numbers on a variety of topics. 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. That's the highest start percentage of any state with at least 400 games played. NFL draft picks since 2000: 57. The schools other Hall of Famers are quarterback Bobby Layne, running back Earl Campbell and defensive back Bobby Dillon. Oct 6, 2011, 8:10 AM Historically, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania have been hotbeds for football talent. The one thing lacking from The Ohio States NFL resume is a great, or even good, or even above-average, quarterback. Now youre an History of Colleges Most Represented on NFL Rosters, 3300 West Camelback Road - Phoenix, AZ 85017, Criminal Justice, Government & Public Administration. Weve looked at the top states for producing NFL players, but how about the most successful schools within those states? In fact, since Saban became coach in 2007, the Crimson Tide have more first-round picks (39) than losses (27). Which Schools Have the Most NFL Players? 1 overall pick in 1993, was one of four first-round picks from Washington and one of 12 taken within the first 100 selections. 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. Bottom line:Pittsburgh has just six Top 25 finishes in the last 35 years and hasnt won more than 10 games since 1981. 25. Thats more than much larger states such as New York (7) and New Jersey (6). 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. 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. Perhaps a surprise to some, North Carolina takes the fourth spot. The District of Columbia, with one NFL player for every 54,702 residents, has the most NFL players per capita. Here is an in-depth look at the top five states. Current NFL players: 37. 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. 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. pic.twitter.com/bxIOhq6fqz, Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) September 13, 2018. Unfortunately, the two never shared a backfield while at Iowa, or maybe thats fortunate for opposing quarterbacks. 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. Cardale Jones. 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. California and Texas are still at the top of the list. Please reload the page and try again. 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. Try selecting a different location. 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. Most touchdowns in NFL: Lance Alworth (87), Most games played in NFL: Jason Peters (238). 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. Is it any surprise that the Lone Star State tops the ranking? 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. Always has. Jim Druckenmiller. The city of Miami has more NFL players than any other city, and these players just arent your run-of-the-mill second and third-stringers. Here is a breakdown of the states where the most active NFL players were born Sign up for notifications from Insider! Vinny Testaverde. 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. 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. Texas ranks last in ESPN's QB formula because of the expectations given the state's resources. Bottom line:Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Buckeyes' NFL credentials is that they rank second in active players with 65. Brees also won a Super Bowl (XLIV), was Super Bowl MVP, a 13-time Pro Bowler and a one-time All-Pro. 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. 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). Meanwhile, the Magnolia State has plenty to celebrate when it comes to football or writers and entertainers, for that matter.
History of Colleges Most Represented on NFL Rosters - GCU Arkansas (274) 24. 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. LSU - 325 10. Switzer was a center, linebacker, and captain of the 1959 team that won the Southwest Conference and Gator Bowl. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. So, it is no surprise to see them on this list. Despite having the most players all-time, the Fighting Irish ranked eigth in active players for the 2022 NFL season. We share information about your use of this site with our social media, advertising and analytics teams who may combine it with other information that youve provided to them. Jones was a Razorback starter at offensive guard and co-captain when the team won the national title. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. At the other end of the spectrum, North Dakota, Delaware, and New Hampshire are each the birthplace of a single player in the NFL. His work as a syndicated columnist and celebrated sports writer has appeared in numerous magazines, periodicals and newspapers. 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. Ohio, a traditional Midwest football-mad state, is fifth on the list in terms of NFL players. 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. 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. Alabama leads the way with 72 active NFL players as of the 2021-2022 season.
Graphic: The 10 U.S. States With The Most Current NFL Players Time will tell! 3 is Georgia (one in 78,761). When you factor in population, the state produces 26.6 pro football players for every 100,000 people. Will Texas cede its dominance, or will it hold strong as the top NFL-producing state? In the last six years . 13 Texas A&M at Kyle Field, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. These high schools have produced the most NFL players. That's reflective of Arizona's NFL history, which includes longtime backup Mike Pagel. The answer may surprise you. 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 . From there, we ranked which state currently has produced the most NFL players. No. - 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. The higher the AV, the greater the career he had. 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. Using this data we were able to illustrate some key data points for every franchise in the league, as well as the league as a whole. Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke dominated in the 1960s and '70s, and the Fighting Illinis success also is in yesteryear. Once we started looking through historic roster data for various NFL teams, we really didnt want to stop. U.S. News rank: 18 (tie), National Universities. Top 10 States that have produced the greatest NFL quarterbacks Graphic by Ryan Escobar 1. Nebraska - 346 6. Yet Texas leads the U.S. in Super Bowl wins above expectation. But the Texas total computes to only 8.5 players per 100,000, about one-third of what Mississippi has produced. 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. 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. That is, the Magnolia State, relatively small and poor in so many ways, kicks tail when it comes to producing football talent. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelors in journalism, Rick has worked for the Monroe (La.) Recent post: What Color Is Associated With The Number 5? 2 is Louisiana (one in 76,837) .. No. 2 following the 1962 season. Here are the universities cultivating the talent: In Alabama, theres no denying which school is best at producing professional football players. The captain of Oregon's all-time NFL team is Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts, a third-round pick (No. After all, our hometown Arizona Cardinals have the first overall pick! The rest of the country and other places around the world are home to 838 players. Miami - 341 8. More NFL players (199) graduated from Texas than any. 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.
Which states produce the most NFL players? - 247Sports 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. 64 overall) of the San Diego Chargers in the 1973 NFL draft. Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. Colleges That Have Produced the Most NFL Players Alabama's Crimson Tide has 58 former student-athletes in the NFL, producing more pro players recently than other colleges. 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). Kelly never got the program to the promised land, and Oregon still is searching for its first national championship. Most games played:Sebastian Janikowski (284). California alone, at 225 active players, accounts for more than ten percent of NFL players. Colorado . 2 is Louisiana (one in 76,837) .. No. Mississippi produces more NFL players per capita than any other state, and its not really that close. LSU's 3 permanent rivals for 9-game SEC schedule have been set, per report, Quinten Dormady, former Tennessee QB, under playbook investigation in XFL, Alabama basketball adds commitment from 4-star forward, Billy Napier addresses Florida staff openings at start of spring practice, BetMGM Massachusetts Bonus Code: How to Claim the $200 Bonus Bet Offer This Weekend, FanDuel Massachusetts Promo: Pre-Launch Special Scores $100 in Bonus Bets, Jalin Hyatt impresses in limited NFL Combine showing, WynnBET Mass Promo Code: How to Claim Big Value with Pre-Launch Bonus, BetMGM UFC 285 Promo Code: Claim $1,000 First Bet Offer on Any Fight, Texas A&M punctuates impressive SEC season with upset of No. Despite putting 54 defensive backs in the NFL, including 14 first-rounders, no Bama corner has ever made a Pro Bowl. But the program has produced some elite NFL stars. Check out the full list of 721 quarterbacks divided by state here. Across NFL draft history, Notre Dame and USC have seen the most alums get drafted, according to drafthistory.com -- and they are also the most popular programs for the Eagles over time. It was enough to move .
What College Has Produced The Most Nfl Hall Of Famers? These colleges have produced the most NFL players, and they have a track record of success on the gridiron. North Carolina can claim 121 current NFL players in the league. 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. (You can find them here.). Bottom line: The California Golden Bears have been playing football since 1916. Here's a breakdown of the 10 states with the most NFL. had produced 63 NFL players, the most among the nation . 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 . 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.
Colleges That Have Produced the Most NFL Players - Yahoo! News 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. U.S. News rank: 57 (tie), National Universities. The most NFL players have come from Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Miami, Florida, and the state of Florida. 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. We will be watching alongside our fellow fans to see how it all unfolds and watch the young men getting drafted move on to the next phase of their lives. That is 48 more than the team with the next most Pro Bowl selections. 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). The 2022 season has seen 58 active players from the Alabama lineage. Follow on Twitter @RichExner or see previous stories at cleveland.com/datacentral. And that team just happens to be the only one that outpaced USC in NFL players produced. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images). You can only publish select stories individually not as a collection. 4-year graduation rate: 90%. 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. Louisiana is famous for its Cajun food, jazz music, Mardi Gras -- and quarterbacks. 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. But even the most diehard of Notre Dame fans would admit that their best days are well behind them. How 'bout them Hogs? DISCLAIMER: This site is 100% for entertainment purposes only and does not involve real money betting. 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). 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.
Which college teams produce the most NFL players? - Sidelines.io The state of California has produced the most players in today's NFL. 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. 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. 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. Notably, however, LSU was the school most represented on the 2018 Cardinals roster. While ranking 22nd in all-time NFL players, Auburn ranks 23rd in active players after ranking eighth in 2019, pointing to their recent struggles.
Which college football program sends the most players to the NFL? 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. And where does the 2021 NFL draft class of quarterbacks come from? North Dakota State's Trey Lance could be the first Minnesota QB selected in the first round. 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 school has produced at least one player from every season of NFL football since the league resumed play in 2012. West Virginia University's Morgantown recruits many of these athletes. Nevertheless, with names like Bo Jackson, Ronnie Brown, and Stephen Davis, the Tigers have been a football factory at producing NFL running backs. Texas used to be the dominant team in the state, but the rise of other programs like Texas A&M and TCU in recent years has taken some wind out of its sails.