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. The state of Mississippi has placed the most players in the NFL capita, according to a by Sidelines. Though it might surprise some fans, the state of Florida actually has the most current NFL players. 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. Bledsoe, the No. Rick Cleveland, a native of Hattiesburg and resident of Jackson, has been Mississippi Todays sports columnist since 2016. 4 on the leagues all-time passing yardage list. The most prolific quarterback state of the 2010s is Florida with nine, including Lamar Jackson and Teddy Bridgewater. Bottom line: The California Golden Bears have been playing football since 1916. 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. Here is an in-depth look at the top five states. Rod Woodson already has a gold jacket and is the greatest Purdue football alum not named Brees. In the 1950s, 69 Spartans were drafted into the NFL, compared to just 59 from 2000 to 2019. We just dont have available stats on the authors and musicians. Stay up to date with what you want to know. No. The state that produced dynamic personalities such as Favre and Gardner Minshew found a way to make an impression. These colleges have produced the most NFL players, and they have a track record of success on the gridiron. 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. The Penn State Nittany Lions, who began play in 1889, are among the most storied programs in . 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). You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. That list doesnt even include Cam Newton, who is the NFLs all-time leader in rushing touchdowns for a quarterback. 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. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider 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. 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. 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 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. Ousmane Diallo, a data analyst for Rise at Seven, led a team of five that did the research and tallied the results. And giving them three is a bit generous since Troy Aikman started his career at OU, but finished it at UCLA. Ohio State - 426 4. With the 2020 season officially underway, CBS unveiled an incredible graphic that shows which states produce the most NFL players. The Sunshine State comes in at #3 with 149 total players in the NFL. 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. Of those, 74 have made it to the big game, with three former Buckeyes making four Super Bowl appearances each.. Bottom line: Purdue is one of the oldest college football programs. 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). All rights reserved. Walter Payton, from Columbia and Jackson State, is the NFLs second all-time leading rusher. 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. We are particularly interested in which colleges have been the most successful at sending players to the pros. While some schools are known for producing CEOs or millionaires, these 10 colleges have the most NFL players on active rosters, according to NCAA data. After Georgia the drop-off is significant. 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 . In the last six years . 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. 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. Coach Urban Meyer preparing players for the NFL also was a huge attraction as many of those 65 players came under his tenure. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. We also looked at the three college teams who had the most players join each professional team in every decade. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. DISCLAIMER: This site is 100% for entertainment purposes only and does not involve real money betting. We will be watching alongside our fellow fans to see how it all unfolds and watch the young men getting drafted move on to the next phase of their lives. Newman had Peyton and Eli Manning, and Westlake's Drew Brees and Nick Foles also led world champions. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. No promotions available. Here is a breakdown of the states where the most active NFL players were born Sign up for notifications from Insider! None are bigger than Drew Brees, who threw for 80,358 yards in his NFL career, more yards than any other quarterback in NFL history. We center readers in everything we do, informingand engagingMississippians through reporting, podcasts, events and online communities. 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). A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelors in journalism, Rick has worked for the Monroe (La.) We also identified the college football programs that sent the most players to the NFL within those states. 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. The United States of quarterbacks will add more members to the club April 29-May 1 with the NFL draft (on ESPN/ESPN App) and maybe someday make some QB-starved states proud (we're looking at you, Utah and Minnesota). 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. The schools other Hall of Famers are quarterback Bobby Layne, running back Earl Campbell and defensive back Bobby Dillon. With your help, we've gotten a lot done but we're not finished yet! Copyright 2023 Action Network Inc, All Rights Reserved.Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | AdChoices. Which state has the highest average draft position for quarterbacks? 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. Only two of the 10 most populous cities in the United States have schools on this list with Phoenixs Arizona State and Los Angeles first entry with UCLA. BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 09: Quarterback Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens rushes against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. Florida was also the home of superstars like Dalvin Cook, Amari Cooper, Lavonte David, Derrick Henry, Calvin Ridley and Matthew Stafford. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Half the players on NFL rosters are from just seven states, with Ohio being among the top producers of pro football talent. 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. Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. Bottom line:Flordia had recent success under Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer, but doesnt have decades of dominance under its belt and didnt become an elite program until the 1990s. While USC comes up second on this list (for now), the Trojans rank first with a staggering 239 Pro Bowl selections. 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. When you factor in population, the state produces 26.6 pro football players for every 100,000 people. USC - 479 3. Most touchdowns in NFL: Tony Gonzalez (111), Most games played in NFL: Tony Gonzalez (270). And some make NFL players. By state, NFL training-camp rosters had 336 former Texas high school players, 293 from Florida, 285 from California and 232 from Georgia. Several prestigious Texas programs have contributed to the current NFL talent pool. Help keep the momentum going by rejoining our member community today. We also took the combined data we had gathered and made a slightly different graphic for the entire history of the NFL. Fortunately for the Sooners, Adrian Peterson is sure to increase that number five years after he retires. 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. 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. Most games played:Sebastian Janikowski (284). For a better experience, please consider using a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. Read on to see the results. These five state's account for close to 50% of. All 11 of the school's conference championships have come under Spurrier and Meyer, who made Gainesville a pipeline to the NFL unlike previous coaches. The remaining seven states to crack the top 10 are Georgia, Ohio, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, North Carolina and New Jersey. The Longhorns are no longer on top, and they are chasing Oklahoma for Big 12 supremacy in terms of NFL players produced. Ohio, a traditional Midwest football-mad state, is fifth on the list in terms of NFL players. Note: All figures are NFL stats for players. In fact, 12 of their Pro Bowl players played either running back or fullback. Many of the schools on this list are poised to send another great class of rookies to the NFL next season. Its one of the most exciting times of the year for football fans around the country. News Star World, Jackson Daily News and Clarion Ledger. Bottom line: Oregon won a Rose Bowl in their first season in 1916. In fact, those three states rank 1-2-3 all-time for states where NFL. Oct 6, 2011, 8:10 AM Historically, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania have been hotbeds for football talent. 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. 4-year graduation rate: 66%. The Sooners have only three Hall of Famers. 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. second most all-time wins in college football history. 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. 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. 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. 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. Others create politicians. Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. That is, the Magnolia State, relatively small and poor in so many ways, kicks tail when it comes to producing football talent. But the program has produced some elite NFL stars. 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. Led by Manning and league MVPs Brett Favre and Steve McNair, they made 732 starts in 802 games played (91.3%). 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. It's no surprise the schools that dominate on Saturdays see their alumni playing on Sundays. The District of Columbia, with one NFL player for every 54,702 residents, has the most NFL players per capita. The rest of the country and other places around the world are home to 838 players. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Some colleges excel at producing Fortune 500 CEOs. Since 1936, when the NFL began to keep accurate roster records, Mississippi has produced 788 NFL players. Despite ranking ninth in all-time NFL players, the Huskers rank just 26th in active NFL players. But the Ducks have had a lot of talent over the years. But the Texas total computes to only 8.5 players per 100,000, about one-third of what Mississippi has produced. And where does the 2021 NFL draft class of quarterbacks come from? That makes them a bit of an outlier since every other school in the top seven is in a warm-weather location in either the South or Southern California. Cardale Jones. Alabama is ranked first in the country in terms of NFL players per capita, with one NFL player per 74,683 residents. Remember, were talking about per capita here. Then he starred for the Steelers, Ravens, 49ers and Raiders in the NFL. Warner collected 71 of his 311 career college wins at Stanford and changed the game with the forward pass. Bottom line: Smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania, Penn State isnt far from Ohio, New York and New Jersey. But great players in Norman havent translated to great players in the NFL. Most touchdowns in NFL: Mike Alstott (71), Most games played in NFL: Drew Brees (287). 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. A cleveland.com review of opening week. Of the 16 Tigers to make at least one All-Pro first team, 11 were offensive players including Hall of Famers Y.A. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. You make the call. That is 48 more than the team with the next most Pro Bowl selections. It was enough to move . Others create politicians. Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. Woodson has a Super Bowl ring, 71 career interceptions, 11 Pro Bowls and six All-Pro honors. That's why they call scouting an inexact science. Of that 82, 74 are playing in the NFL after spending time at Nick Saban's powerhouse football program. Which Schools Have the Most NFL Players? 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. 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. Dont forget to take advantage of Caesars Sportsbooks NCAAF odds week-in and week-out! 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. But even the most diehard of Notre Dame fans would admit that their best days are well behind them. 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. From John Brodie and Jim Plunkett to John Elway and Andrew Luck, there's a reason Stanford has a reputation as Quarterback U. They grew up just 10 minutes from each other in Chicago and are universally known by their surnames: Butkus and Nitschke. North Carolina Perhaps a surprise to some, North Carolina takes the fourth spot. 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. Another amazing fact: Jackson State, alone, has produced four Hall of Famers, three of them native Mississippians. While ranking 22nd in all-time NFL players, Auburn ranks 23rd in active players after ranking eighth in 2019, pointing to their recent struggles. 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. Bottom line:Michigan has the second most all-time wins in college football history (behind Alabama), produced perhaps the greatest quarterback in NFL history (Tom Brady) and even had a future president play for them (Gerald Ford). 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. The school has just one first-round NFL pick since the 2011 season with Prince Amukamara going 19th overall in that years draft. California ranked second among all U.S. states with 151 players drafted. Heres a breakdown of every states active NFL players. Ohio State is just one of three colleges to produce more than 400 NFL players. But Michigan also has struggled when it comes to skill position players in the NFL. In fact, since Saban became coach in 2007, the Crimson Tide have more first-round picks (39) than losses (27). Miami - 341 8. They both were middle linebackers and played for rival franchises in the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, respectively. There are 151 NFL players that came from colleges across California. Thats more than much larger states such as New York (7) and New Jersey (6). One of the exciting things about going to college is that youll have the opportunity to direct the course of your own education. 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. In the college game, Tennessee has fallen off over the last 20 years, recording just two top-10 finish over that span. That's reflective of Arizona's NFL history, which includes longtime backup Mike Pagel. Heck, it doesnt even finish in the top two in its own division thanks to the two participants of "The Game" beating them out. 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.