Bottom line:Illinois never won a national championship, but the Illini had two of the most iconic players in NFL history. That Mississippi led all other states, said Diallo, was the part we found super interesting.. In fact, those three states rank 1-2-3 all-time for states where NFL players were born. Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. Louisiana is the state with the best ratio (one NFL player per 76,837 people), followed by Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida and South Carolina. The sheer size of California and the number of universities within it has propelled the state to #2 on the list. 4-year graduation rate: 66%. Florida is another NFL-producing machine. California is more than just Tom Brady, and the great state of Texas hasn't been so great when it comes to producing NFL QBs, according to our formula, which counts a player's home state as the one in which he finished his high school career. Note: Birthplace for 14 players could not immediately be determined. Top 10 States that have produced the greatest NFL quarterbacks Graphic by Ryan Escobar 1. The only thing missing from Washingtons NFL alumni is a successful wide receiver. We also looked at career length to find which colleges players have the longest average careers on different NFL teams. It's no surprise the schools that dominate on Saturdays see their alumni playing on Sundays. . 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. That is reflected by the Gators having the fifth-most active players in the NFL despite being outside the top 10 in total players. In 2016, Favre became the ninth native Mississippian inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Or should. Thats a no-brainer. That is, the Magnolia State, relatively small and poor in so many ways, kicks tail when it comes to producing football talent. What college has the most NFL players all time? 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. Troy Aikman, Jonathan Ogden and Jimmy Johnson all have rejected USC for Westwood and currently reside in the Hall of Fame. The most notable star to come from the Sunshine State is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Still, they dont have decades of winning traditions, which is why they fall a little lower on this list than many might expect. Heres a breakdown of every states active NFL players. But the program has produced some elite NFL stars. (You can find them here.). Be sure to visit the Action Networks NCAAF Odds page each week to the lay of the land for betting lines. 3 is Georgia (one in 78,761). 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. 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. Can you name the seven states that have not produced an NFL quarterback? by Rick Cleveland, Mississippi Today November 1, 2021, This and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
. With the 2020 season officially underway, CBS unveiled an incredible graphic that shows which states produce the most NFL players. 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. 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. We do not target any individuals under the age of 21. 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. The captain of Oregon's all-time NFL team is Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts, a third-round pick (No. 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. Here's a breakdown of the 10 states with the most NFL. 2 following the 1962 season. Action Network conducted a study to identify which state produced the most current NFL talent, which determined that the Lone Star State was the home of 211 active players, which accounts for 1 in every 12 players. Eventually, we had gathered data on every player to ever appear on an active NFL roster, including their position, who they played for, how long they played in the league and of course which college they attended. We do not sell or share your information with anyone. 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 . 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. Ohio State's Justin Fields was a five-star recruit at Harrison High. 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. Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. 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 . And that team just happens to be the only one that outpaced USC in NFL players produced. Alabama leads the way with 72 active NFL players as of the 2021-2022 season. 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. He was sports editor of Hattiesburg American, executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Just because we dont have a college team of our own here at Grand Canyon University doesnt mean that we arent caught up in the excitement and talent infusion the draft brings. Woodson has a Super Bowl ring, 71 career interceptions, 11 Pro Bowls and six All-Pro honors. 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). 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. With 56 players, Alabama's roster in 2019 is the largest. It features arguably the most successful college football program in history. The only thing missing from Alabamas NFL resume is a shutdown cornerback. 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. as well as other partner offers and accept our. That is more than 1 in every 12 players currently in the league. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. The population of New York State is nearly 20 million, compared to Mississippis fewer than 3 million. 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. Here are the universities cultivating the talent: In Alabama, theres no denying which school is best at producing professional football players. 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. 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 make the call. Alabama is ranked first in the country in terms of NFL players per capita, with one NFL player per 74,683 residents. Jim Druckenmiller. You'll find there's a QB1 state -- the one with the highest percentage of starts per game played -- and one that has produced the most backups. Despite all of that success in the defensive backfield, the Sun Devils never have won a national championship, making them just one of six teams on this list without a natty. Here is a breakdown of the states where the most active NFL players were born Sign up for notifications from Insider! This college has also produced the second-most players in the 2021 season. Kelly never got the program to the promised land, and Oregon still is searching for its first national championship. 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. In fact, those three states rank 1-2-3 all-time for states where NFL. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. We just dont have available stats on the authors and musicians. Then he starred for the Steelers, Ravens, 49ers and Raiders in the NFL. City of Miami, State of Florida, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School Produce Most NFL Players Which state has most NFL players per capita? 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 that is debatable. Action Network analyzed each NFL teams current roster to identify the state and university each of their players came from. We also looked at the three college teams who had the most players join each professional team in every decade. We believe that an informed Mississippi is a better Mississippi. While that number seems impressive, its a low number for this list and ranks just 81st in terms of all college football programs. 2 Alabama, SEC Women's Basketball Tournament action suspended due to weather delay, 2 SEC players named to late-season watch list for Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Trophy, Overrated? The content on this page is for informational purposes only. 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. 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. That's the highest start percentage of any state with at least 400 games played. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images). Here are some takeaways: - Notre Dame has produced more NFL players than any other college, with 495 athletes going on to play in the NFL. The state of Mississippi has placed the most players in the NFL capita, according to a by Sidelines. Second is Ohio State with 67, followed by LSU with 62. 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. The Sunshine State comes in at #3 with 149 total players in the NFL. Action Network's list of the top 10 states with the most active NFL players is listed below. 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. Nebraska - 346 6. Ohio State is just one of three colleges to produce more than 400 NFL players. 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 is 48 more than the team with the next most Pro Bowl selections. At the other end of the spectrum, North Dakota, Delaware, and New Hampshire are each the birthplace of a single player in the NFL. 211 current NFL players came from a school in Texas. 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. The higher the AV, the greater the career he had. Rick Cleveland, a native of Hattiesburg and resident of Jackson, has been Mississippi Todays sports columnist since 2016. 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. We are particularly interested in which colleges have been the most successful at sending players to the pros. Current NFL players: 37. 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. 2023 www.clarionledger.com. Oliver Luck hailed from St. Ignatius, but the 44113 doesn't get credit for his son Andrew, who went to high school in Texas. From 1960 to 1987, the franchise was located in St. Louis, and that westward move brought with it more players from the Southwest and Great Plains regions, as players from schools like Utah, Missouri and Nebraska starting appearing on the field more for the NFL franchise. 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. Follow on Twitter @RichExner or see previous stories at cleveland.com/datacentral. Notably, however, LSU was the school most represented on the 2018 Cardinals roster. More:Mississippi State upends No. That's why they call scouting an inexact science. Copyright 2023 Action Network Inc, All Rights Reserved.Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | AdChoices. Unfortunately, the two never shared a backfield while at Iowa, or maybe thats fortunate for opposing quarterbacks. Most touchdowns in NFL: Mike Alstott (71), Most games played in NFL: Drew Brees (287). USC - 479 3. According to its website, FUMA has produced more than 100 future NFL players, including 12 first-round picks such as Eddie George, Anthony Castonzo and Plaxico Burress. 1980 also stands as the midpoint for Georgia football and the NFL draft as 50 percent of all drafted Bulldogs were selected before 1980 while the other half came in 1980 or later. These rankings are based on rosters published by Stats LLC on Monday afternoon, three days before the start of the season. If you feel like you're losing control over your gambling experience, call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA, WV), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-888- 532-3500(Virginia) 1-800-522-4700 (NV, TN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, TN), 1-855-2CALLGA (IL), 1-800-270-7117 (MI). Bottom line:Lots of schools have proclaimed themselves as "DB U" due to the prolific number of defensive backs they have sent to the NFL. He has covered the SEC since 2016. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. Three legendary Cal stars are quarterback Aaron Rodgers, tight end Tony Gonzalez and running back Marshawn Lynch. Before making life miserable for NFL defenses, they were doing the same to opponents in college. 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. We support responsible gambling. How 'bout them Cowboys? Of the 16 Tigers to make at least one All-Pro first team, 11 were offensive players including Hall of Famers Y.A. 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. Is it any surprise that the Lone Star State tops the ranking? The most prolific quarterback state of the 2010s is Florida with nine, including Lamar Jackson and Teddy Bridgewater. 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. 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. After all, our hometown Arizona Cardinals have the first overall pick! Help keep the momentum going by rejoining our member community today. That is about 9% of the current active players in the league. Texas is a football crazy state where towns live and die by their local teams at every level. Over those100-plus years, they have won two national championships (1920 and 1922) and produced many pro players. U.S. News rank: 57 (tie), National Universities. By Jackson. They grew up just 10 minutes from each other in Chicago and are universally known by their surnames: Butkus and Nitschke. 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. Bottom line:Pittsburgh has just six Top 25 finishes in the last 35 years and hasnt won more than 10 games since 1981. Our site uses cookies to personalize content, to provide social media features/ads and to analyze site traffic. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. 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. LSUs alums rank fifth all-time in touchdowns scored, with most of their best players lining up on the offensive side of the ball. 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. These high schools have produced the most NFL players. Heres the breakdown: There are three colleges that have dominated Florida football for decades. So we set out to determine what state produces the most NFL players. For more information on our cookie collection and use please visit our Privacy Policy. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Bottom line:The Auburn Tigers are not currently considered an SEC powerhouse, but it wasn't that long ago when they were. Brett Favre, from Kiln and Southern Miss, is No. Louisiana, with 25 NFL QBs, including Terry Bradshaw, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, is No. The state also produced Richard Sherman, Tyron Smith, Bobby Wagner and several other stars. During your secondary school years, you likely had a little One of the most common questions students hear is, What do you want to be when you grow up? For many individuals that answer is subject to change over time. Action Network makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event. Most touchdowns in NFL: James Lofton (76), Most games played in NFL: John Elway (234).