But which high schools are "football factories" like major college programs such as Alabama, Ohio State and USC? Bottom line: Oregon won a Rose Bowl in their first season in 1916. 2 is Louisiana (one in 76,837) .. No. 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. 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. Seven of the school's 11 national championships came in the first half of the 20th century, and none of those titles have come in the last 30 years. The Buckeye State had 78 players in the NFL ranks in 2014. Any amount helps us keep producing quality journalism for Mississippi. That list doesnt even include Cam Newton, who is the NFLs all-time leader in rushing touchdowns for a quarterback. U.S. News rank: 57 (tie), National Universities. The District of Columbia, with one NFL player for every 54,702 residents, has the most NFL players per capita. All rights reserved. The GLIAC has the most active NFL players with 10, followed by the Mid-America conference with 9. Colleges with the most NFL players all time . 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. 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. And in 2018 and 2019, one out of four quarterbacks who started Week 1 hailed from the Lone Star State. That's reflective of Arizona's NFL history, which includes longtime backup Mike Pagel. 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. This college has also produced the second-most players in the 2021 season. Alabama is ranked first in the country in terms of NFL players per capita, with one NFL player per 74,683 residents. Notably, however, LSU was the school most represented on the 2018 Cardinals roster. Heres the top five schools for sending players to the pros: There are five schools who that dominate when it comes to producing NFL talent in California. 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. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelors in journalism, Rick has worked for the Monroe (La.) Florida was also the home of superstars like Dalvin Cook, Amari Cooper, Lavonte David, Derrick Henry, Calvin Ridley and Matthew Stafford. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. And of those, 11 come from high schools located within 30 miles of Atlanta. 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. The data was analyzed through the lenses of number of quarterbacks, Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Super Bowl wins and NFL approximate value (AV). 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. But in recent years, the states that are football factories has shifted a little. Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke dominated in the 1960s and '70s, and the Fighting Illinis success also is in yesteryear. In fact, those three states rank 1-2-3 all-time for states where NFL. Meanwhile, the Magnolia State has plenty to celebrate when it comes to football or writers and entertainers, for that matter. We know most people arent fans of the Arizona Cardinals, so we went ahead and made a similar graphic for every other team in the National Football League, which you can click through in the above slideshow. These colleges have produced the most NFL players, and they have a track record of success on the gridiron. Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. 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. Their time will come. 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. With your help, we've gotten a lot done but we're not finished yet! That is reflected by the Gators having the fifth-most active players in the NFL despite being outside the top 10 in total players. Bottom line:UT is home to four Hall of Famers, although one of them, Tom Landry, is enshrined in Canton due to his work as a coach rather than a player. Three of those Razorbackers became Hall of Famers: wide receiver Lance Alworth, defensive lineman Dan Hampton and free safety Steve Atwater. 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. Rick Cleveland, a native of Hattiesburg and resident of Jackson, has been Mississippi Todays sports columnist since 2016. Notre Dames lack of recent success bears out in the number of active players the Irish have in the NFL. Perhaps a surprise to some, North Carolina takes the fourth spot. 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. 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. Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. 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. 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. The one thing lacking from The Ohio States NFL resume is a great, or even good, or even above-average, quarterback. 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. 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. 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. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. SEC schools continually churn out the most NFL talent. More NFL players (199) graduated from Texas than any. Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. From there, we ranked which state currently has produced the most NFL players. Heres how the rest of the list shakes out: The college football landscape is already taking shape for the 2022-23 season. Mississippi State has no former players the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For a better experience, please consider using a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. 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. DISCLAIMER: This site is 100% for entertainment purposes only and does not involve real money betting. 3 is Georgia (one in 78,761). 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! 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. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Half the players on NFL rosters are from just seven states, with Ohio being among the top producers of pro football talent. 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. Which Schools Have the Most NFL Players? With the 2020 season officially underway, CBS unveiled an incredible graphic that shows which states produce the most NFL players. The Ohio State University has produced a total of 411 players since the 17th NFL season in 1936. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Nebraska, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Alabama round out the top five. Its quality, as well. Many of the schools on this list are poised to send another great class of rookies to the NFL next season. You make the call. So, it is no surprise to see them on this list. The Longhorns are no longer on top, and they are chasing Oklahoma for Big 12 supremacy in terms of NFL players produced. Tittle, Steve Van Buren and Kevin Mawae. With 14 cities producing at least four players on Kickoff Weekend rosters, Texas surpassed Florida to lead the league in home states. Bottom line:The dominance of Alabama under Nick Saban isnt limited to just the college game. Our site uses cookies to personalize content, to provide social media features/ads and to analyze site traffic. Recent post: What Color Is Associated With The Number 5? Heres the full chart that Feldman shared on Twitter below: The District of Columbia, with one NFL player for every 54,702 residents, has the most NFL players per capita. The only thing missing from Alabamas NFL resume is a shutdown cornerback. Thats more than much larger states such as New York (7) and New Jersey (6). Jones was a Razorback starter at offensive guard and co-captain when the team won the national title. Weve looked at the top states for producing NFL players, but how about the most successful schools within those states? Interestingly, the 1988 move to Phoenix marked an end to regionality having an outsize influence on roster decisions, with Michigan Wolverines playing for the Cardinals at a greater clip than any other school in both the 2000s and 2010s. AV refers to approximate value and is PFRs attempt to quantify a players career value. But see who makes up the rest of the top 5 in the state: North Carolina has produced a surprising number of NFL players. Ohio State is just one of three colleges to produce more than 400 NFL players. 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. They are followed by Florida, Texas, Georgia and then Ohio. Out of all colleges, Notre Dame has produced 521 players selected in the NFL draft. Kelly never got the program to the promised land, and Oregon still is searching for its first national championship. 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). CLEVELAND, Ohio - Half the players on NFL rosters are from just seven states, with Ohio being among the top producers of pro football talent. 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. Notre Dame - 495 2. The Cornhuskers have won more games against Power 5 opponents than any other school in history, and their dominance stretches from the early 20th century all the way to the 1990s. 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. 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. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Alabama (17) was a distant fifth. 20 college football teams we aren't sold on in 2023, SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Mizzou shocks Tennessee, Alabama downs Auburn and more, SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Alabama stays unbeaten in SEC play, Tennessee outlasts Auburn and more, SEC Basketball Power Rankings: A new top team emerges, Alabama loses in blowout fashion, Mizzou lights it up again. 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: The California Golden Bears have been playing football since 1916. Bottom line: Arkansas has a great football tradition. But the Texas total computes to only 8.5 players per 100,000, about one-third of what Mississippi has produced. 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). You can only publish select stories individually not as a collection. Despite having more pro players than Arizona State, Iowa alums have scored 363 fewer touchdowns (730 to 1093), which places them close to last on this top 30 list. The only thing missing from Washingtons NFL alumni is a successful wide receiver. 13 Texas A&M at Kyle Field, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. And some make NFL players. 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. 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. 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. That's why they call scouting an inexact science. Bottom line:Wisconsin has the most NFL players of any school to never win a national championship their highest season-ending finish was No. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Woodson has a Super Bowl ring, 71 career interceptions, 11 Pro Bowls and six All-Pro honors. 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. 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. 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. . 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. In fact, those three states rank 1-2-3 all-time for states where NFL players were born. 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. Trevor Lawrence, of Cartersville High, and Justin Fields, of Harrison High, became the top two recruits in the nation in 2018. Be sure to visit the Action Networks NCAAF Odds page each week to the lay of the land for betting lines.