No. The school has produced Pro Bowlers at every other position on the field, but theyve yet to send a receiver to the Pro Bowl or have a receiver post a 1,000-yard season. While the Razorbacks are no longer the class of the tough SEC, they have won 14 conference championships in program history and brought home a national championship to Fayetteville in 1964. Vinny Testaverde. second most all-time wins in college football history. They are from Pro Football Reference and through the 2022 NFL season. The state of California has produced the most players in today's NFL. He has covered the SEC since 2016. 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. Total enrollment in fall 2021: 13,139. They grew up just 10 minutes from each other in Chicago and are universally known by their surnames: Butkus and Nitschke. 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. Warner collected 71 of his 311 career college wins at Stanford and changed the game with the forward pass. 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. The NFL is known world wide for having some of the best athletes in the world. Alabama rounds out the top 5 with 109 active NFL players. But that number dropped to 28 in 2022, due to some lean years for the Seminoles. Bottom line: Smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania, Penn State isnt far from Ohio, New York and New Jersey. 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. 25. Highest AV in NFL: Randall McDaniel (129), Most touchdowns in NFL: Charley Taylor (90), Most games played in NFL: Terrell Suggs (244). 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. Since these states end up producing such talented players, that's why college football programs like Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State and Penn State get their hands on top recruits. Louisiana, which doesn't have. 2023 www.clarionledger.com. You could say it all started with the godfather of football, Pop Warner. Its one of the most exciting times of the year for football fans around the country. 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's Justin Fields was a five-star recruit at Harrison High. Another amazing fact: Jackson State, alone, has produced four Hall of Famers, three of them native Mississippians. 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. Here is a breakdown of the states where the most active NFL players were born Sign up for notifications from Insider! Despite having the most players all-time, the Fighting Irish ranked eigth in active players for the 2022 NFL season. 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 . 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. Brees also won a Super Bowl (XLIV), was Super Bowl MVP, a 13-time Pro Bowler and a one-time All-Pro. But Knoxville, with its close location to the Gulf Coast, the Eastern Seaboard and the Midwest, is still adept at attracting top college prospects. 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. Historically, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania have been hotbeds for football talent. For more information on our cookie collection and use please visit our Privacy Policy. 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. Note: All figures are NFL stats for players. 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. It features arguably the most successful college football program in history. The only thing missing from Washingtons NFL alumni is a successful wide receiver. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not Rod Woodson already has a gold jacket and is the greatest Purdue football alum not named Brees. Jim Druckenmiller. Follow on Twitter @RichExner or see previous stories at cleveland.com/datacentral. Will Furrer. He was sports editor of Hattiesburg American, executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. 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. You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Bottom line:Did you know that the Washington Huskies 40 game win streak from 1908 to 1914 is the second-longest in NCAA history? News Star World, Jackson Daily News and Clarion Ledger. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using. The Lone Star State produced a plethora of talented quarterbacks, such as Drew Brees, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Ryan Tannehill. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 Action Network Inc, All Rights Reserved.Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | AdChoices. The Penn State Nittany Lions, who began play in 1889, are among the most storied programs in . Despite ranking ninth in all-time NFL players, the Huskers rank just 26th in active NFL players. That is about 9% of the current active players in the league. And there are currently no players that were born in the state of Vermont. NFL Players By College - Overall Top 10 All-Time 1. necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Colleges with the most NFL players all time . California, with 141 quarterbacks, is tops in the union with 14 Super Bowl wins in 25 starts, three Hall of Famers, seven No. 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. 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. These colleges have produced the most NFL players, and they have a track record of success on the gridiron. After all, our hometown Arizona Cardinals have the first overall pick! 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). With both expected to be top picks in the draft, Georgia will soon have 19 NFL quarterbacks. Remember, were talking about per capita here. Help keep the momentum going by rejoining our member community today. Perhaps a surprise to some, North Carolina takes the fourth spot. 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. About Saturday Down South | Ethics and Editorial Standards | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Other Conferences: Big Ten | ACC | Pac-12. Walter Payton, from Columbia and Jackson State, is the NFLs second all-time leading rusher. The Sunshine State comes in at #3 with 149 total players in the NFL. One of the first things we found was how many players have ever donned the teams uniform throughout the entirety of the franchises history. But now, Florida has joined them as one of the three biggest producers of NFL talent. Louisiana QBs have nine Super Bowl wins in 14 starts. This website does not fully support Internet Explorer. 13 Texas A&M at Kyle Field, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 4 on the leagues all-time passing yardage list. The Ohio State University has produced a total of 411 players since the 17th NFL season in 1936. Colleges That Have Produced the Most NFL Players Alabama's Crimson Tide has 58 former student-athletes in the NFL, producing more pro players recently than other colleges. These colleges have produced the most NFL players, and they have a track record of success on the gridiron. We center readers in everything we do, informingand engagingMississippians through reporting, podcasts, events and online communities. We also identified the college football programs that sent the most players to the NFL within those states. 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. Miami Hurricane alums rank second in NFL touchdowns scored and fourth in Pro Bowl selections, despite having 60-70 percent of the number of players that the top two schools have produced. 1. But Michigan also has struggled when it comes to skill position players in the NFL. LSUs alums rank fifth all-time in touchdowns scored, with most of their best players lining up on the offensive side of the ball. 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. - 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. About 20 miles on I-75 separate the Georgia high school homes of two of the draft's top QB prospects. 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. How 'bout them Hogs? 64 overall) of the San Diego Chargers in the 1973 NFL draft. That is, the Magnolia State, relatively small and poor in so many ways, kicks tail when it comes to producing football talent. 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. Second is California with 187, followed by Texas (160), Georgia (97), Ohio (80), Pennsylvania (66) and Louisiana (63). 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. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. A new, thorough study confirms what I have long contended to be true. That's the highest start percentage of any state with at least 400 games played. Dont forget to take advantage of Caesars Sportsbooks NCAAF odds week-in and week-out! A bust is waiting for Brees in Canton. Ohio State is just one of three colleges to produce more than 400 NFL players. Ousmane Diallo, a data analyst for Rise at Seven, led a team of five that did the research and tallied the results. How 'bout them Cowboys? 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). 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. We do not sell or share your information with anyone. Colorado . Any sources cited were 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. Which city has the most NFL players in 2020? Here are the universities cultivating the talent: In Alabama, theres no denying which school is best at producing professional football players. Total enrollment: 46,810. And some make NFL players. We believe that an informed Mississippi is a better Mississippi. Any amount helps us keep producing quality journalism for Mississippi. 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. In the City of Miami, State of Florida, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School produces the most NFL players. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelors in journalism, Rick has worked for the Monroe (La.) USC - 479 3. And giving them three is a bit generous since Troy Aikman started his career at OU, but finished it at UCLA. Would we Mississippians rather be ranked No. Their list of 10 Hall of Famers is sure to grow in the near future as Larry Fitzgerald, Darrelle Revis and Aaron Donald likely will receive their gold jackets one day. 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. Notre Dame, USC, and Ohio State have produced 400 or more NFL players in history. Across NFL draft history, Notre Dame and USC have seen the most alums get drafted, according to drafthistory.com -- and they are also the most popular programs for the Eagles over time. 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. And some make NFL players. Or should be. By Jackson. So we didnt. 1 overall picks and 6,532 TD passes. So, it is no surprise to see them on this list. 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. Here is an in-depth look at the top five states. We prefer Author Name, Mississippi Today in the byline. Louisiana is famous for its Cajun food, jazz music, Mardi Gras -- and quarterbacks. The state of Mississippi has placed the most players in the NFL capita, according to a by Sidelines. In third place for most NFL players is California, which gets to claim two legendary players in Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. That's why they call scouting an inexact science. Weve looked at the top states for producing NFL players, but how about the most successful schools within those states? SEC schools continually churn out the most NFL talent. 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. Alabama leads the way with 72 active NFL players as of the 2021-2022 season. Still, they dont have decades of winning traditions, which is why they fall a little lower on this list than many might expect. 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 schools other Hall of Famers are quarterback Bobby Layne, running back Earl Campbell and defensive back Bobby Dillon. Bottom line:The Auburn Tigers are not currently considered an SEC powerhouse, but it wasn't that long ago when they were. Try selecting a different location. (You can find them here.). 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. In the college game, Tennessee has fallen off over the last 20 years, recording just two top-10 finish over that span. In Georgia, one NFL player is played for every 81,409 people, while in Florida, one is played for every 91,847 people. Mississippi State has no former players the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That is more than 30 percent of all active players listed Pro-Football-Reference.com. Its not just quantity were talking about either. Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. The school has produced at least one player from every season of NFL football since the league resumed play in 2012. But the Ducks have had a lot of talent over the years. North Carolina can claim 121 current NFL players in the league. The only thing missing from Alabamas NFL resume is a shutdown cornerback. Before making life miserable for NFL defenses, they were doing the same to opponents in college. accurate as of the publish date. Again, its not even close. When you factor in population, the state produces 26.6 pro football players for every 100,000 people. Top 10 States that have produced the greatest NFL quarterbacks Graphic by Ryan Escobar 1. 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. 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. Founded in 2016 as the states first nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom, Mississippi Todays roots in Capitol coverage have grown to encompass a myriad of beats beyond politics and policy, including education, public health, justice, environment, equity, and, yes, sports. 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. This site .css-110721q{color:#0079F0;}contains commercial content. In fact, those three states rank 1-2-3 all-time for states where NFL. 3 is Georgia (one in 78,761). 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. The District of Columbia, with one NFL player for every 54,702 residents, has the most NFL players per capita. Florida State (275) 23. 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. You have to credit Mississippi Today. Stay up to date with what you want to know. The sheer size of California and the number of universities within it has propelled the state to #2 on the list. While USC comes up second on this list (for now), the Trojans rank first with a staggering 239 Pro Bowl selections. They often get those TV slots since their players will be playing in the NFL in a few years. 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! While not every former SEC player is from the state where they went to college, many of them did choose to stay close to home, either in their own state or a state close by. Despite that, Washington has attracted many of the top players in the nation and its reach goes beyond its Seattle campus. We do not target any individuals under the age of 21. U.S. News rank: 57 (tie), National Universities. Many may not think of the Tar Heel State as a football-dominant state, but they sure know how to produce top-talent. With 14 cities producing at least four players on Kickoff Weekend rosters, Texas surpassed Florida to lead the league in home states. 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. And now, theres even data that would appear to back it up. The universities to follow Alabama were Ohio State, Florida, Louisiana State and Michigan, all courtesy of its football programs. Louisiana, with 25 NFL QBs, including Terry Bradshaw, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, is No. 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. Rick Cleveland, a native of Hattiesburg and resident of Jackson, has been Mississippi Todays sports columnist since 2016. 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. 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. Kelly never got the program to the promised land, and Oregon still is searching for its first national championship. 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. 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: 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). The Buckeye State had 78 players in the NFL ranks in 2014. Which ZIP code has produced the most NFL quarterbacks? North Carolina State has never been to a BCS bowl and hasn't won an ACC title since 1979. 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. Cardale Jones. Heres how the rest of the list shakes out: The college football landscape is already taking shape for the 2022-23 season. Alabama is ranked first in the country in terms of NFL players per capita, with one NFL player per 74,683 residents. The state of Mississippi has placed the most players in the NFL capita, according to a by Sidelines. And of those, 11 come from high schools located within 30 miles of Atlanta. Bottom line: The California Golden Bears have been playing football since 1916. But see who makes up the rest of the top 5 in the state: North Carolina has produced a surprising number of NFL players. Bottom line:No program has more wins or a better win percentage since World War II than Oklahoma a testament to the great players who have come through Norman. 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 fact, those three states rank 1-2-3 all-time for states where NFL players were born. Always has. The rest of the country and other places around the world are home to 838 players. What college has the most NFL players all time? So we set out to determine what state produces the most NFL players. 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). Many of the schools on this list are poised to send another great class of rookies to the NFL next season. 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. It's no surprise the schools that dominate on Saturdays see their alumni playing on Sundays. The state of Mississippi has placed the most players in the NFL capita, according to a by Sidelines. 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. Is it any surprise that the Lone Star State tops the ranking? We support responsible gambling. 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. 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. Thats a no-brainer. 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. 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