The Ohio State University has produced a total of 411 players since the 17th NFL season in 1936. Eleven ZIP codes have produced three NFL QBs, and 60 can boast two. 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. Which states produce the most NFL players? Florida, California, Texas 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. It is reflected in the NFL as well. 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. 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. Those three states currently have 597 players in the NFL. Most touchdowns in NFL: James Lofton (76), Most games played in NFL: John Elway (234). Arkansas (274) 24. 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 rest of the country and other places around the world are home to 838 players. 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. Louisiana is famous for its Cajun food, jazz music, Mardi Gras -- and quarterbacks. Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. 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. While USC comes up second on this list (for now), the Trojans rank first with a staggering 239 Pro Bowl selections. Louisiana, which doesn't have. Heres the breakdown: There are three colleges that have dominated Florida football for decades. Its one of the most exciting times of the year for football fans around the country. Which states produce the most NFL players? - 247Sports By Jackson. But Knoxville, with its close location to the Gulf Coast, the Eastern Seaboard and the Midwest, is still adept at attracting top college prospects. following organizations: Whoops! Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. In fact, since Saban became coach in 2007, the Crimson Tide have more first-round picks (39) than losses (27). 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. Florida is another NFL-producing machine. Bottom line:The dominance of Alabama under Nick Saban isnt limited to just the college game. Louisiana QBs have nine Super Bowl wins in 14 starts. The most notable star to come from the Sunshine State is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. 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. Remember, were talking about per capita here. In the 1950s, 69 Spartans were drafted into the NFL, compared to just 59 from 2000 to 2019. The answer may surprise you. Bottom line:The Auburn Tigers are not currently considered an SEC powerhouse, but it wasn't that long ago when they were. We center readers in everything we do, informingand engagingMississippians through reporting, podcasts, events and online communities. By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with Mississippi Today. Despite putting 54 defensive backs in the NFL, including 14 first-rounders, no Bama corner has ever made a Pro Bowl. Additionally, Miami wins the all-important Battle for Florida since it has more Pro Bowl selections (181) than Florida State (103) and Florida (89). 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). Total enrollment: 46,810. Ohio State - 426 4. 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. California alone, at 225 active players, accounts for more than ten percent of NFL players. However, 13 Wolverines have reached 1,000 NFL rushing yards with the latest being the greatest, Tom Brady. Total enrollment in fall 2021: 13,139. 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. 25. Yet Texas leads the U.S. in Super Bowl wins above expectation. Some regions of the country, though, have become well known for regularly producing NFL-caliber 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. Which college teams produce the most NFL players? - Sidelines.io Before making life miserable for NFL defenses, they were doing the same to opponents in college. Since 1936, 788 NFL players have come from Mississippi. A bust is waiting for Brees in Canton. That is, the Magnolia State, relatively small and poor in so many ways, kicks tail when it comes to producing football talent. Please reload the page and try again. a proud member of the 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 . Twelve of the 22 Washington QBs came from the greater Seattle area. With your help, we've gotten a lot done but we're not finished yet! And there are currently no players that were born in the state of Vermont. 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. It features arguably the most successful college football program in history. The data was analyzed through the lenses of number of quarterbacks, Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Super Bowl wins and NFL approximate value (AV). 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. Any amount helps us keep producing quality journalism for Mississippi. Evans . 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. Yet the Panthers also have the third-most Pro Football Hall of Famers of any football program, pointing to the pull of Pittsburgh for top talent in Western Pennsylvania. 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. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. Second is California with 187, followed by Texas (160), Georgia (97), Ohio (80), Pennsylvania (66) and Louisiana (63). 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. The schools other Hall of Famers are quarterback Bobby Layne, running back Earl Campbell and defensive back Bobby Dillon. 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. That is more than 1 in every 12 players currently in the league. 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. 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. Many of the schools on this list are poised to send another great class of rookies to the NFL next season. Bottom line:While many of the aforementioned schools have had recent success but not decades of winning, the exact opposite can be said for Nebraska. Over those100-plus years, they have won two national championships (1920 and 1922) and produced many pro players. 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! Always has. Bottom line: The California Golden Bears have been playing football since 1916. 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. Still, they dont have decades of winning traditions, which is why they fall a little lower on this list than many might expect. The only thing UCLA is missing is an elite NFL receiver since theyve had Pro Bowlers at every position except out wide. 2 is Louisiana (one in 76,837) .. No. Time will tell! A cleveland.com review of opening week. Notably, however, LSU was the school most represented on the 2018 Cardinals roster. Coach Urban Meyer preparing players for the NFL also was a huge attraction as many of those 65 players came under his tenure. Which Conferences Produce the Most NFL Players - BNB Football In the last six years . 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). Daddy, where do NFL players come from? | FOX Sports Mississippi State upends No. Again, its not even close. While everything may be bigger in Texas, the Aggies come up small in terms of Pro Football Hall of Famers. This site .css-110721q{color:#0079F0;}contains commercial content. 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. They are followed by Florida, Texas, Georgia and then Ohio. But see who makes up the rest of the top 5 in the state: North Carolina has produced a surprising number of NFL players. 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 2 following the 1962 season. 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. And now, theres even data that would appear to back it up. 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. These five state's account for close to 50% of. The school has just one first-round NFL pick since the 2011 season with Prince Amukamara going 19th overall in that years draft. 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. One of the exciting things about going to college is that youll have the opportunity to direct the course of your own education. 3 is Georgia (one in 78,761). You make the call. 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. 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. Its highest touchdown scorer, Elroy Hirsch, found the end zone just 66 times. 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). Florida State (275) 23. 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. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. The Sunshine State comes in at #3 with 149 total players in the NFL. 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. 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. 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. second most all-time wins in college football history. Here's a breakdown of the 10 states with the most NFL. The Alabama Crimson Tide has produced the most NFL players out of all college football teams.