Together these seven states are the birthplaces of 846 NFL players. AV refers to approximate value and is PFRs attempt to quantify a players career value. And in 2018 and 2019, one out of four quarterbacks who started Week 1 hailed from the Lone Star State. U.S. News rank: 57 (tie), National Universities. 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. 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. - 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. Walter Payton, from Columbia and Jackson State, is the NFLs second all-time leading rusher. 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. In third place for most NFL players is California, which gets to claim two legendary players in Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. The Boilermakers started playing football in 1892 and have sent big names to the NFL. Bottom line: Purdue is one of the oldest college football programs. The numbers were run through a principle component analysis -- boiling the information down to the most important data points -- to create the overall rankings. News Star World, Jackson Daily News and Clarion Ledger. West Virginia University's Morgantown recruits many of these athletes. Some regions of the country, though, have become well known for regularly producing NFL-caliber talent. 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. 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). Only two of the 10 most populous cities in the United States have schools on this list with Phoenixs Arizona State and Los Angeles first entry with UCLA. California alone, at 225 active players, accounts for more than ten percent of NFL players. 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). The 2022 season has seen 58 active players from the Alabama lineage. 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. Thats a no-brainer. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). 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! Nick Saban has given NFL franchises 29 first-round picks during his time as Alabama's head coach Despite that, Washington has attracted many of the top players in the nation and its reach goes beyond its Seattle campus. North Carolina can claim 121 current NFL players in the league. Though it might surprise some fans, the state of Florida actually has the most current NFL players. Miami - 341 8. At the other end of the spectrum, North Dakota, Delaware, and New Hampshire are each the birthplace of a single player in the NFL. That's reflective of Arizona's NFL history, which includes longtime backup Mike Pagel. The sheer size of California and the number of universities within it has propelled the state to #2 on the list. 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. The Volunteers can thank three players for boosting up their number of Pro Bowl selections: Peyton Manning (14), Reggie White (13) and Jason Witten (11) account for nearly 30 percent of those nods. In fact, 12 of their Pro Bowl players played either running back or fullback. But that is debatable. About 20 miles on I-75 separate the Georgia high school homes of two of the draft's top QB prospects. Unfortunately, the two never shared a backfield while at Iowa, or maybe thats fortunate for opposing quarterbacks. Nevertheless, with names like Bo Jackson, Ronnie Brown, and Stephen Davis, the Tigers have been a football factory at producing NFL running backs. Thanks to a slew of legendary coaches and a tradition . 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. Notre Dames lack of recent success bears out in the number of active players the Irish have in the NFL. Bottom line:Lots of schools have proclaimed themselves as "DB U" due to the prolific number of defensive backs they have sent to the NFL. 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. That is more than 30 percent of all active players listed Pro-Football-Reference.com. California ranked second among all U.S. states with 151 players drafted. LSU - 325 10. Since 1936, when the NFL began to keep accurate roster records, Mississippi has produced 788 NFL players. Stay up to date with what you want to know. Mississippi State has no former players the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 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. Weve ranked the best NFL-talent producing universities in Texas, California, Florida, North Carolina, and Alabama. So we set out to determine what state produces the most NFL players. Louisiana QBs have nine Super Bowl wins in 14 starts. Trevor Lawrence, of Cartersville High, and Justin Fields, of Harrison High, became the top two recruits in the nation in 2018. Notre Dame and USC were actually tied for the most draft selections ever entering the 2021 draft with 511. NFL Players By College - Overall Top 10 All-Time 1. Heres a breakdown of every states active NFL players. Some regions of the country, though, have become well known for regularly producing NFL-caliber talent. USC - 479 3. Iowa not only has the NFLs all-time interceptions leader in Paul Krause (81), but it also has the second all-time interceptions leader in Emlen Tunnell (79). You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. The second-most populous state, Texas also leads the country in a key formula component -- Division I football programs -- with 21, seven more than any other state. 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. Evans . We center readers in everything we do, informingand engagingMississippians through reporting, podcasts, events and online communities. Alabama, Ohio State, and LSU have been at the forefront of the supply chain of great talent for the NFL. The schools other Hall of Famers are quarterback Bobby Layne, running back Earl Campbell and defensive back Bobby Dillon. That list doesnt even include Cam Newton, who is the NFLs all-time leader in rushing touchdowns for a quarterback. But Florida State is rising up the ranks, and of its four Hall of Famers, three have been enshrined in Canton this decade. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. Here's a breakdown of the 10 states with the most NFL. North Carolina State has never been to a BCS bowl and hasn't won an ACC title since 1979. 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. . 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. 1 overall picks and 6,532 TD passes. 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. We also looked at the three college teams who had the most players join each professional team in every decade. Colorado . 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. 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. Keep this news free and accessible to all by becoming a member and giving a recurring donation of any amount today. Another amazing fact: Jackson State, alone, has produced four Hall of Famers, three of them native Mississippians. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Even with Aikman, Oklahoma has fewer Hall of Famers than Morgan State, San Francisco and Jackson State, all schools with fewer than 100 NFL players. 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's why they call scouting an inexact science. 13 Texas A&M at Kyle Field. Bottom line: While six states on this list landed multiple programs in the top 25, only one city accomplished the feat, and thats Los Angeles. Please reload the page and try again. Louisiana is the state with the best ratio (one NFL player per 76,837 people), followed by Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida and South Carolina. We do not target any individuals under the age of 21. These colleges have produced the most NFL players, and they have a track record of success on the gridiron. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Yes, Bulldogs Dak Prescott and perhaps Fletcher Cox are future Hall of Famers but thats a few years away. And of those, 11 come from high schools located within 30 miles of Atlanta. 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. Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. Second is Ohio State with 67, followed by LSU with 62. The schools that dominate on Saturdays have their alumni playing on Sundays. 3 is Georgia (one in 78,761). 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. 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. Bottom line:Pittsburgh has just six Top 25 finishes in the last 35 years and hasnt won more than 10 games since 1981. However, 13 Wolverines have reached 1,000 NFL rushing yards with the latest being the greatest, Tom Brady. This college has also produced the second-most players in the 2021 season. 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. pic.twitter.com/bxIOhq6fqz, Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) September 13, 2018. Vinny Testaverde. Led by Manning and league MVPs Brett Favre and Steve McNair, they made 732 starts in 802 games played (91.3%). The most notable star to come from the Sunshine State is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Which state has the highest average draft position for quarterbacks? 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. That is about 9% of the current active players in the league. 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. In the 1950s, 69 Spartans were drafted into the NFL, compared to just 59 from 2000 to 2019. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Only Purdue (676), Oregon (687) and Arkansas (706) have fewer NFL touchdowns. 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. SEC schools continually churn out the most NFL talent. Despite having the most players all-time, the Fighting Irish ranked eigth in active players for the 2022 NFL season. Without Fitzpatrick's 146 starts, the canyon between Arizona and runner-up Ohio, at 57.6% for its 34 QBs, would be even wider. 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. Some colleges excel at producing Fortune 500 CEOs. Some colleges excel at producing Fortune 500 CEOs. But the Ducks have had a lot of talent over the years. There have been 149 players in NFL history to rush for 5,000 yards in a career, but none of them have donned the maize and blue. All rights reserved. All four of those states are among the top 10 in producing NFL players, so Penn State is in an ideal location to land top talent. Others create politicians. Still, they dont have decades of winning traditions, which is why they fall a little lower on this list than many might expect. 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. But see who makes up the rest of the top 5 in the state: North Carolina has produced a surprising number of NFL players. It is reflected in the NFL as well. It also doesnt count, for instance, a player such as Peyton Manning whose roots are firmly in Mississippi soil and who spent much of his childhood in the Magnolia State. The Ohio State University has produced a total of 411 players since the 17th NFL season in 1936. 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. Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. No. Mississippi State upends No. Nebraska, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Alabama round out the top five. Several prestigious Texas programs have contributed to the current NFL talent pool. 4-year graduation rate: 90%. 1. 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. . 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 state of Mississippi has placed the most players in the NFL capita, according to a by Sidelines. No. Its highest touchdown scorer, Elroy Hirsch, found the end zone just 66 times. Kelly never got the program to the promised land, and Oregon still is searching for its first national championship. The Lone Star State produced a plethora of talented quarterbacks, such as Drew Brees, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Ryan Tannehill. It's no surprise the schools that dominate on Saturdays see their alumni playing on Sundays. Additionally, Miami wins the all-important Battle for Florida since it has more Pro Bowl selections (181) than Florida State (103) and Florida (89). While ranking 22nd in all-time NFL players, Auburn ranks 23rd in active players after ranking eighth in 2019, pointing to their recent struggles. And that team just happens to be the only one that outpaced USC in NFL players produced. But Texas surpassed the Golden State in the 2000s with 25 quarterbacks (to California's 22), and they are tied with eight in the 2010s. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Any amount helps us keep producing quality journalism for Mississippi. The Alabama Crimson Tide has produced the most NFL players out of all college football teams. He was sports editor of Hattiesburg American, executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. California, with 141 quarterbacks, is tops in the union with 14 Super Bowl wins in 25 starts, three Hall of Famers, seven No. We do not sell or share your information with anyone. For more information on our cookie collection and use please visit our Privacy Policy. 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. Help keep the momentum going by rejoining our member community today. 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. One of the exciting things about going to college is that youll have the opportunity to direct the course of your own education. Alabama is ranked first in the country in terms of NFL players per capita, with one NFL player per 74,683 residents. How Mississippis outdated application process keeps parents from getting child care assistance, Another Democratic defection adds to Republican supermajority in Legislature, Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. The combination of our local NFL squad picking at the top of the draft, an accomplished alum serving in a major leadership role for a different team, and our general interest in seeing college students start their careers after school really got our team thinking about what it means for these student-athletes who are preparing to drop the student part of that moniker. Mississippi 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. They both were middle linebackers and played for rival franchises in the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, respectively. Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. But the Texas total computes to only 8.5 players per 100,000, about one-third of what Mississippi has produced. Most touchdowns in NFL: Tony Gonzalez (111), Most games played in NFL: Tony Gonzalez (270). Bottom line:The dominance of Alabama under Nick Saban isnt limited to just the college game. In 2016, Favre became the ninth native Mississippian inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 1. Quarterbacks taken ahead of Fouts that year include Bert Jones (Baltimore Colts), Gary Huff (Chicago Bears), Ron Jaworski (Los Angeles Rams), Gary Keithley (St. Louis Cardinals) and Joe Ferguson (Buffalo Bills). 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. Oliver Luck hailed from St. Ignatius, but the 44113 doesn't get credit for his son Andrew, who went to high school in Texas. They grew up just 10 minutes from each other in Chicago and are universally known by their surnames: Butkus and Nitschke. 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. 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. Jim Druckenmiller. 211 current NFL players came from a school in Texas. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Not only have they sent the most players to the league, but they also have sent the most players to the Pro Football Hall of Fame (14), which is perhaps an even better measure of the talent produced by a program. Over those100-plus years, they have won two national championships (1920 and 1922) and produced many pro players. A bust is waiting for Brees in Canton. You could say it all started with the godfather of football, Pop Warner. 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. 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. 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). Since 1936, 788 NFL players have come from Mississippi. These colleges have produced the most NFL players, and they have a track record of success on the gridiron. Copyright 2023 Action Network Inc, All Rights Reserved.Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | AdChoices. 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. 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. Historically, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania have been hotbeds for football talent. We also looked at career length to find which colleges players have the longest average careers on different NFL teams. Nebraska (21.3 per 100,000), Oklahoma (also 21.3), and Louisiana (21.2) were the three states closest to Mississippi in NFL players per capita. Its one of the most exciting times of the year for football fans around the country. Thats more than much larger states such as New York (7) and New Jersey (6). 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. Heres how the rest of the list shakes out: The college football landscape is already taking shape for the 2022-23 season. From John Brodie and Jim Plunkett to John Elway and Andrew Luck, there's a reason Stanford has a reputation as Quarterback U. Note: All figures are NFL stats for players. What college has the most NFL players all time? Out of all colleges, Notre Dame has produced 521 players selected in the NFL draft. After starring at Snider High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Woodson stayed close to home and became an All-American for the Boilermakers. 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. Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. Which ZIP code has produced the most NFL quarterbacks? You make the call. 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). But the Texas total computes to only 8.5 players per 100,000, about one-third of what Mississippi has produced. The only thing missing from Alabamas NFL resume is a shutdown cornerback. 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. More:Mississippi State upends No. Or should be. Read on to see the results. North Carolina Perhaps a surprise to some, North Carolina takes the fourth spot. The data was analyzed through the lenses of number of quarterbacks, Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Super Bowl wins and NFL approximate value (AV). Bottom line:The Auburn Tigers are not currently considered an SEC powerhouse, but it wasn't that long ago when they were. 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. by Rick Cleveland, Mississippi Today November 1, 2021, This and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.. Their time will come. These high schools have produced the most NFL players. But even the most diehard of Notre Dame fans would admit that their best days are well behind them. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. Despite putting 54 defensive backs in the NFL, including 14 first-rounders, no Bama corner has ever made a Pro Bowl. Eleven ZIP codes have produced three NFL QBs, and 60 can boast two. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Half the players on NFL rosters are from just seven states, with Ohio being among the top producers of pro football talent. 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 . There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. following organizations: Whoops! Total enrollment in fall 2021: 13,139. 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. This site .css-110721q{color:#0079F0;}contains commercial content. 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). And there are currently no players that were born in the state of Vermont. St. Ignatius (Ohio) is in the only ZIP code with four NFL quarterbacks, though the most well-known name from that group is Luck -- and it's not the Luck you think it is. Most touchdowns in NFL: Lance Alworth (87), Most games played in NFL: Jason Peters (238). 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. 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. We also took the combined data we had gathered and made a slightly different graphic for the entire history of the NFL. 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. 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. His work as a syndicated columnist and celebrated sports writer has appeared in numerous magazines, periodicals and newspapers. Every April, a new crop of young men try to make the leap from college to the pros where they will try to carve out a career for themselves in the NFL. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Clemson's Trevor Lawrence went 52-2 as a starter at Cartersville High, winning two state titles. 3 is Georgia (one in 78,761). Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go.