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. Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports shared a chart on Twitter on Thursday that breaks down which states have the most NFL players per capita. 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. We do not sell or share your information with anyone. 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. Pennsylvania State University--University. Three legendary Cal stars are quarterback Aaron Rodgers, tight end Tony Gonzalez and running back Marshawn Lynch. 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. 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. These colleges have produced the most NFL players, and they have a track record of success on the gridiron. NFL: the 15 States With the Most Players in the NFL - Business Insider The one thing lacking from The Ohio States NFL resume is a great, or even good, or even above-average, quarterback. Coming in at second for most NFL players on Week 1 rosters is Texas. Here is an in-depth look at the top five states. College programs with the most NFL draft picks, ranked - 247Sports North Carolina State has never been to a BCS bowl and hasn't won an ACC title since 1979. Action Network makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event. Alabama leads the way with 72 active NFL players as of the 2021-2022 season. West Virginia University's Morgantown recruits many of these athletes. 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. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 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 . All rights reserved (About Us). For more information on our cookie collection and use please visit our Privacy Policy. Walter Payton, from Columbia and Jackson State, is the NFLs second all-time leading rusher. No. That is reflected by the Gators having the fifth-most active players in the NFL despite being outside the top 10 in total players. We prefer Author Name, Mississippi Today in the byline. Clemson's Trevor Lawrence went 52-2 as a starter at Cartersville High, winning two state titles. The most prolific quarterback state of the 2010s is Florida with nine, including Lamar Jackson and Teddy Bridgewater. Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. The NFL is known world wide for having some of the best athletes in the world. 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. In Georgia, one NFL player is played for every 81,409 people, while in Florida, one is played for every 91,847 people. The rest of the country and other places around the world are home to 838 players. Colleges That Have Produced the Most NFL Players Bledsoe, the No. Before he expanded to Louisiana and founded his own personal QB franchise, Archie Manning started another unique trend of QB1s from his home state of Mississippi. Data was culled from Pro Football Reference to figure out which states have over- or underperformed based on the expected number of NFL quarterbacks produced, decided by population size and the number of Division I programs in a state. And there are currently no players that were born in the state of Vermont. Oliver Luck hailed from St. Ignatius, but the 44113 doesn't get credit for his son Andrew, who went to high school in Texas. Ohio State is just one of three colleges to produce more than 400 NFL players. Or should be. Oklahoma - 328 9. 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). Did you also know that the streak started a dozen years before the NFL was founded so none of the players on those teams made it to the league? 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. USC - 479 3. Over those100-plus years, they have won two national championships (1920 and 1922) and produced many pro players. second most all-time wins in college football history. 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. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Half the players on NFL rosters are from just seven states, with Ohio being among the top producers of pro football talent. 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. Alabama - 319 What College Has The Most NFL Players - 2019 Alabama - 53 LSU - 51 Ohio State - 46 USC - 44 Miami - 43 Florida - 43 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! The state that produced dynamic personalities such as Favre and Gardner Minshew found a way to make an impression. Action Network analyzed each NFL teams current roster to identify the state and university each of their players came from. Twenty-eight states have fewer.The Cuyahoga natives, with the listed place of birth, are: Rankings could vary slightly because the birth places for 14 players were not immediately available, and rosters can change daily. Second is California with 187, followed by Texas (160), Georgia (97), Ohio (80), Pennsylvania (66) and Louisiana (63). First-rounders: 6. It is reflected in the NFL as well. The GLIAC has the most active NFL players with 10, followed by the Mid-America conference with 9. In the 1950s, 69 Spartans were drafted into the NFL, compared to just 59 from 2000 to 2019. The state also produced Richard Sherman, Tyron Smith, Bobby Wagner and several other stars. 211 current NFL players came from a school in Texas. Time will tell! 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. 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. In fact, those three states rank 1-2-3 all-time for states where NFL. accurate as of the publish date. You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. After starring at Snider High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Woodson stayed close to home and became an All-American for the Boilermakers. Daddy, where do NFL players come from? | FOX Sports However, 13 Wolverines have reached 1,000 NFL rushing yards with the latest being the greatest, Tom Brady. We're dedicated to keeping Mississippians informed with our thorough reporting. Any amount helps us keep producing quality journalism for Mississippi. Vinny Testaverde. Another amazing fact: Jackson State, alone, has produced four Hall of Famers, three of them native Mississippians. Jones was a Razorback starter at offensive guard and co-captain when the team won the national title. 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. 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. Only Purdue (676), Oregon (687) and Arkansas (706) have fewer NFL touchdowns. While that number seems impressive, its a low number for this list and ranks just 81st in terms of all college football programs. Those three states currently have 597 players in the NFL. Switzer was a center, linebacker, and captain of the 1959 team that won the Southwest Conference and Gator Bowl. Second is Ohio State with 67, followed by LSU with 62. following organizations: Whoops! We also looked at career length to find which colleges players have the longest average careers on different NFL teams. Historically, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania have been hotbeds for football talent. These colleges have produced the most NFL players, and they have a track record of success on the gridiron. Which college football program sends the most players to the 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. That is more than 30 percent of all active players listed Pro-Football-Reference.com. How 'bout them Cowboys? In fact, 12 of their Pro Bowl players played either running back or fullback. Florida was also the home of superstars like Dalvin Cook, Amari Cooper, Lavonte David, Derrick Henry, Calvin Ridley and Matthew Stafford. City of Miami, State of Florida, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School Produce Most NFL Players Which state has most NFL players per capita? Or should. North Carolina can claim 121 current NFL players in the league. That's why they call scouting an inexact science. But the Texas total computes to only 8.5 players per 100,000, about one-third of what Mississippi has produced. 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. The state of Mississippi has placed the most players in the NFL capita, according to a by Sidelines. 3 is Georgia (one in 78,761). 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. Bottom line:Wisconsin has the most NFL players of any school to never win a national championship their highest season-ending finish was No. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). So, it is no surprise to see them on this list. By Jackson. 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. That is about 9% of the current active players in the league. That group includes former No. Brees or Woodson at the top of the Purdue football alumni depth chart? Bottom line: The California Golden Bears have been playing football since 1916. History of Colleges Most Represented on NFL Rosters - GCU More than 25 percent of its 98 Pro Bowl selections came from just four defensive backs: Mike Haynes (9), Eric Allen (6), Louis Wright (5) and Darren Woodson (5). 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. 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. The District of Columbia, with one NFL player for every 54,702 residents, has the most NFL players per capita. Before making life miserable for NFL defenses, they were doing the same to opponents in college. Active NFL players from Texas include Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes; Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams. Follow on Twitter @RichExner or see previous stories at cleveland.com/datacentral. 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. And some make NFL players. Arkansas football also produced Jerry Jones, Hall of Fame owner of the Dallas Cowboys, and Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer, two Super Bowl-winning coaches in Dallas. And now, theres even data that would appear to back it up. Heres a breakdown of every states active NFL players. Bottom line:Illinois never won a national championship, but the Illini had two of the most iconic players in NFL history. This site .css-110721q{color:#0079F0;}contains commercial content. Keep this news free and accessible to all by becoming a member and giving a recurring donation of any amount today. Notre Dames lack of recent success bears out in the number of active players the Irish have in the NFL. had produced 63 NFL players, the most among the nation . For a better experience, please consider using a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. Of that 82, 74 are playing in the NFL after spending time at Nick Saban's powerhouse football program. Mississippi State upends No. The 10 best colleges with the most NFL players in the league at the While USC comes up second on this list (for now), the Trojans rank first with a staggering 239 Pro Bowl selections. Former Buckeyes in the NFL draft this year include Kendall Sheffield (CB, Atlanta Falcons), Rod Smith (RB, Carolina Panthers) and Justin Fields (QB, Chicago Bears). 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. 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).