A new, thorough study confirms what I have long contended to be true. Hall of Famers Warren Moon and Hugh McElhenny came from Los Angeles, six-time Pro Bowl center Olin Kreutz came from Hawaii, and Marcus Peters was from Oakland. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. The only thing missing from Washingtons NFL alumni is a successful wide receiver. Second is Ohio State with 67, followed by LSU with 62. SEC schools continually churn out the most NFL talent. . There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. To explain what we did, we cant think of a better team to spotlight than the aforementioned Arizona Cardinals, owners of the top overall pick this weekend. 1 overall pick. And in 2018 and 2019, one out of four quarterbacks who started Week 1 hailed from the Lone Star State. Still, they dont have decades of winning traditions, which is why they fall a little lower on this list than many might expect. accurate as of the publish date. Our site uses cookies to personalize content, to provide social media features/ads and to analyze site traffic. 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. We do not sell or share your information with anyone. These rankings are based on rosters published by Stats LLC on Monday afternoon, three days before the start of the season. What college has the most NFL players all time? 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. Clemson's Trevor Lawrence went 52-2 as a starter at Cartersville High, winning two state titles. They grew up just 10 minutes from each other in Chicago and are universally known by their surnames: Butkus and Nitschke. 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. That is 48 more than the team with the next most Pro Bowl selections. Keep this news free and accessible to all by becoming a member and giving a recurring donation of any amount today. Michigan - 346 7. That Mississippi led all other states, said Diallo, was the part we found super interesting.. 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. Another amazing fact: Jackson State, alone, has produced four Hall of Famers, three of them native Mississippians. A bust is waiting for Brees in Canton. 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 . The Lone Star State produced a plethora of talented quarterbacks, such as Drew Brees, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Ryan Tannehill. And of those, 11 come from high schools located within 30 miles of Atlanta. 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. 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. 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. Second is California with 187, followed by Texas (160), Georgia (97), Ohio (80), Pennsylvania (66) and Louisiana (63). Alabama rounds out the top 5 with 109 active 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). With 14 cities producing at least four players on Kickoff Weekend rosters, Texas surpassed Florida to lead the league in home states. California and Texas are still at the top of the list. Bottom line:Wisconsin has the most NFL players of any school to never win a national championship their highest season-ending finish was No. 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. 1 in health, wealth and education? How 'bout them Hogs? 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. Florida ranked third with 149. Nevertheless, with names like Bo Jackson, Ronnie Brown, and Stephen Davis, the Tigers have been a football factory at producing NFL running backs. The state of Mississippi has placed the most players in the NFL capita, according to a by Sidelines. Subscribe to get the latest insight from Mel Kiper Jr., Todd McShay and all of our experts heading into the NFL draft, plus thousands of your favorite sporting events. 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. Of the 16 Tigers to make at least one All-Pro first team, 11 were offensive players including Hall of Famers Y.A. North Carolina can claim 121 current NFL players in the league. 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. Top 10 States that have produced the greatest NFL quarterbacks Graphic by Ryan Escobar 1. Penn State - 359 5. 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. Nebraska - 346 6. A winning tradition brings recruits from all over the country, and Ohio States all-time winning percentage of .754 ranks first among Power 5 programs. 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. Kelly never got the program to the promised land, and Oregon still is searching for its first national championship. 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. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider 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). Together these seven states are the birthplaces of 846 NFL players. 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. 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. following organizations: Whoops! That is reflected by the Gators having the fifth-most active players in the NFL despite being outside the top 10 in total players. LSU - 325 10. Or should. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. One of the exciting things about going to college is that youll have the opportunity to direct the course of your own education. Over those100-plus years, they have won two national championships (1920 and 1922) and produced many pro players. 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). 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. The Ducks didn't win another "Granddaddy" until 2011, when Chip Kelly and his high-flying offense beat Wisconsin 45-38. Alabama leads the way with 72 active NFL players as of the 2021-2022 season. 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. Those three states currently have 597 players in the NFL. The Bobby Bowden-Jimbo Fisher era was the best run in program history, and that was evident by FSU having 46 active players in the NFL in 2019. 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. had produced 63 NFL players, the most among the nation . 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. 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. So we didnt. Yet Texas leads the U.S. in Super Bowl wins above expectation. From there, we ranked which state currently has produced the most NFL players. California alone, at 225 active players, accounts for more than ten percent of 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. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images). Time will tell! It features arguably the most successful college football program in history. Rounding out the top five are USC (479), Ohio State (426), Penn State (359), and Nebraska (346). Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Some regions of the country, though, have become well known for regularly producing NFL-caliber talent. 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. 2023 www.clarionledger.com. 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. 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. Despite putting 54 defensive backs in the NFL, including 14 first-rounders, no Bama corner has ever made a Pro Bowl. That's the highest start percentage of any state with at least 400 games played. The remaining seven states to crack the top 10 are Georgia, Ohio, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, North Carolina and New Jersey. By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with Mississippi Today. Current NFL players: 37. Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. Can you name the seven states that have not produced an NFL quarterback? But the program has produced some elite NFL stars. 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. 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. But now, Florida has joined them as one of the three biggest producers of NFL talent. And there are currently no players that were born in the state of Vermont. With the 2020 season officially underway, CBS unveiled an incredible graphic that shows which states produce the most NFL players. Heres the breakdown: There are three colleges that have dominated Florida football for decades. About 20 miles on I-75 separate the Georgia high school homes of two of the draft's top QB prospects. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. We just dont have available stats on the authors and musicians. Switzer was a center, linebacker, and captain of the 1959 team that won the Southwest Conference and Gator Bowl. With 56 players, Alabama's roster in 2019 is the largest. 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. We're dedicated to keeping Mississippians informed with our thorough reporting. We prefer Author Name, Mississippi Today in the byline. 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. Thanks to a slew of legendary coaches and a tradition . This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. This website does not fully support Internet Explorer. But Knoxville, with its close location to the Gulf Coast, the Eastern Seaboard and the Midwest, is still adept at attracting top college prospects. Most touchdowns in NFL: Mike Alstott (71), Most games played in NFL: Drew Brees (287). Colorado . After all, our hometown Arizona Cardinals have the first overall pick! Nebraska, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Alabama round out the top five. Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports shared a chart on Twitter on Thursday that breaks down which states have the most NFL players per capita. So, it is no surprise to see them on this list. 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. Which city has the most NFL players in 2020? Jones was a Razorback starter at offensive guard and co-captain when the team won the national title. 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. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. 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. The Longhorns are no longer on top, and they are chasing Oklahoma for Big 12 supremacy in terms of NFL players produced. Arkansas (274) 24. Texas is a football crazy state where towns live and die by their local teams at every level. Of that 82, 74 are playing in the NFL after spending time at Nick Saban's powerhouse football program. Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke dominated in the 1960s and '70s, and the Fighting Illinis success also is in yesteryear. Woodson has a Super Bowl ring, 71 career interceptions, 11 Pro Bowls and six All-Pro honors. 13 Texas A&M at Kyle Field, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. In fact, since Saban became coach in 2007, the Crimson Tide have more first-round picks (39) than losses (27). His work as a syndicated columnist and celebrated sports writer has appeared in numerous magazines, periodicals and newspapers. Many may not think of the Tar Heel State as a football-dominant state, but they sure know how to produce top-talent. You could say it all started with the godfather of football, Pop Warner. 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. Mississippi State upends No. Others create politicians. But see who makes up the rest of the top 5 in the state: North Carolina has produced a surprising number of NFL players. NFL draft picks since 2000: 57. And giving them three is a bit generous since Troy Aikman started his career at OU, but finished it at UCLA. Bledsoe, the No. Please reload the page and try again. Pennsylvania State University--University. Oct 6, 2011, 8:10 AM Historically, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania have been hotbeds for football talent. More NFL players (199) graduated from Texas than any. And that team just happens to be the only one that outpaced USC in NFL players produced. 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. Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. 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. Cardale Jones. Thats right, Mississippi, for its population, produces more pro football players than Texas, Florida, California and more than Louisiana and Alabama, as well. 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. In Ohio, Cuyahoga County alone is the birthplace of 17 players. In Georgia, one NFL player is played for every 81,409 people, while in Florida, one is played for every 91,847 people. 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. Brees or Woodson at the top of the Purdue football alumni depth chart? 1. 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. 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. You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. But the Texas total computes to only 8.5 players per 100,000, about one-third of what Mississippi has produced. a proud member of the A cleveland.com review of opening week. 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). 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 . 25. 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