Alabama is ranked first in the country in terms of NFL players per capita, with one NFL player per 74,683 residents. Alabama, Ohio State, and LSU have been at the forefront of the supply chain of great talent for the NFL. In third place for most NFL players is California, which gets to claim two legendary players in Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Despite that, Washington has attracted many of the top players in the nation and its reach goes beyond its Seattle campus. 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. Bottom line:Illinois never won a national championship, but the Illini had two of the most iconic players in NFL history. All rights reserved. So we set out to determine what state produces the most 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. Johnson was on that same Arkansas team in 1964 and played defensive end during his college days. Bottom line: Smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania, Penn State isnt far from Ohio, New York and New Jersey. That group includes former No. They are from Pro Football Reference and through the 2022 NFL season. 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 higher the AV, the greater the career he had. 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. Always has. Here's a breakdown of the 10 states with the most NFL. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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 And of those, 11 come from high schools located within 30 miles of Atlanta. Switzer was a center, linebacker, and captain of the 1959 team that won the Southwest Conference and Gator Bowl. Or should. Most touchdowns in NFL: Mike Alstott (71), Most games played in NFL: Drew Brees (287). And giving them three is a bit generous since Troy Aikman started his career at OU, but finished it at UCLA. That's the highest start percentage of any state with at least 400 games played. Total enrollment in fall 2021: 13,139. But that is debatable. SEC schools continually churn out the most NFL talent. Any sources cited were - 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. Led by Manning and league MVPs Brett Favre and Steve McNair, they made 732 starts in 802 games played (91.3%). 211 current NFL players came from a school in Texas. It's no surprise the schools that dominate on Saturdays see their alumni playing on Sundays. Though it might surprise some fans, the state of Florida actually has the most current NFL players. Here is an in-depth look at the top five states. But that number dropped to 28 in 2022, due to some lean years for the Seminoles. In the City of Miami, State of Florida, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School produces the most NFL players. 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. Oliver Luck hailed from St. Ignatius, but the 44113 doesn't get credit for his son Andrew, who went to high school in Texas. That's why they call scouting an inexact science. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. Its highest touchdown scorer, Elroy Hirsch, found the end zone just 66 times. So we didnt. Only Purdue (676), Oregon (687) and Arkansas (706) have fewer NFL touchdowns. Despite ranking ninth in all-time NFL players, the Huskers rank just 26th in active NFL players. 13 Texas A&M at Kyle Field, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Current NFL players: 37. Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. In Georgia, one NFL player is played for every 81,409 people, while in Florida, one is played for every 91,847 people. 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. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images). 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). Woodson has a Super Bowl ring, 71 career interceptions, 11 Pro Bowls and six All-Pro honors. They both were middle linebackers and played for rival franchises in the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, respectively. 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. We also looked at career length to find which colleges players have the longest average careers on different NFL teams. Brett Favre, from Kiln and Southern Miss, is No. The Boilermakers started playing football in 1892 and have sent big names to the NFL. Check out the full list of 721 quarterbacks divided by state here. 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. 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. In Ohio, Cuyahoga County alone is the birthplace of 17 players. Here is a breakdown of the states where the most active NFL players were born Sign up for notifications from Insider! Those three states currently have 597 players in the NFL. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Note: All figures are NFL stats for 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. Bottom line: The California Golden Bears have been playing football since 1916. Arkansas (274) 24. However, 13 Wolverines have reached 1,000 NFL rushing yards with the latest being the greatest, Tom Brady. Is it any surprise that the Lone Star State tops the ranking? 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. Others create politicians. 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. 64 overall) of the San Diego Chargers in the 1973 NFL draft. . 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. Which city has the most NFL players in 2020? From John Brodie and Jim Plunkett to John Elway and Andrew Luck, there's a reason Stanford has a reputation as Quarterback U. (You can find them here.). Pennsylvania State University--University. The GLIAC has the most active NFL players with 10, followed by the Mid-America conference with 9. The University of Alabama has produced the most pro athletes out of college, though, with 82. Or should be. Most touchdowns in NFL: Tony Gonzalez (111), Most games played in NFL: Tony Gonzalez (270). The numbers were run through a principle component analysis -- boiling the information down to the most important data points -- to create the overall rankings. Many of the schools on this list are poised to send another great class of rookies to the NFL next season. Then he starred for the Steelers, Ravens, 49ers and Raiders in the NFL. Bottom line:The dominance of Alabama under Nick Saban isnt limited to just the college game. Bledsoe, the No. Bottom line: Arkansas has a great football tradition. Penn State - 359 5. However, Nebraska hasnt finished in the top 10 in the final AP poll since the 2001 season, and its once-abundant NFL pipeline has all but dried up. A cleveland.com review of opening week. After Georgia the drop-off is significant. 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. Try selecting a different location. Total enrollment: 46,810. 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. After all, our hometown Arizona Cardinals have the first overall pick! For a better experience, please consider using a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. Notre Dames lack of recent success bears out in the number of active players the Irish have in the NFL. The most prolific quarterback state of the 2010s is Florida with nine, including Lamar Jackson and Teddy Bridgewater. 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. They grew up just 10 minutes from each other in Chicago and are universally known by their surnames: Butkus and Nitschke. Even though Florida has had over 385 former Gators suit up in the NFL, none of those players were ever drafted first overall out of UF. Tittle, Steve Van Buren and Kevin Mawae. Oklahoma - 328 9. There have been 149 players in NFL history to rush for 5,000 yards in a career, but none of them have donned the maize and blue. That is more than 30 percent of all active players listed Pro-Football-Reference.com. 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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Fortunately for the Sooners, Adrian Peterson is sure to increase that number five years after he retires. The schools that dominate on Saturdays have their alumni playing on Sundays. Nick Saban has given NFL franchises 29 first-round picks during his time as Alabama's head coach 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). 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. 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. But Knoxville, with its close location to the Gulf Coast, the Eastern Seaboard and the Midwest, is still adept at attracting top college prospects. 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. Its quality, as well. The universities to follow Alabama were Ohio State, Florida, Louisiana State and Michigan, all courtesy of its football programs. The most notable star to come from the Sunshine State is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. 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. The one thing lacking from The Ohio States NFL resume is a great, or even good, or even above-average, quarterback. We do not sell or share your information with anyone. This college has also produced the second-most players in the 2021 season. City of Miami, State of Florida, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School Produce Most NFL Players Which state has most NFL players per capita? 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. Since 1936, when the NFL began to keep accurate roster records, Mississippi has produced 788 NFL players. Walter Payton, from Columbia and Jackson State, is the NFLs second all-time leading rusher. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. These colleges have produced the most NFL players, and they have a track record of success on the gridiron. They are followed by Florida, Texas, Georgia and then Ohio. Heres how the rest of the list shakes out: The college football landscape is already taking shape for the 2022-23 season. All four of those states are among the top 10 in producing NFL players, so Penn State is in an ideal location to land top talent. But great players in Norman havent translated to great players in the NFL. 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.