This website does not fully support Internet Explorer. Alabama leads the way with 72 active NFL players as of the 2021-2022 season. 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. We center readers in everything we do, informingand engagingMississippians through reporting, podcasts, events and online communities. Before making life miserable for NFL defenses, they were doing the same to opponents in college. 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. 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. 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. Of those, 74 have made it to the big game, with three former Buckeyes making four Super Bowl appearances each.. Florida ranked third with 149. Despite putting 54 defensive backs in the NFL, including 14 first-rounders, no Bama corner has ever made a Pro Bowl. Action Network analyzed each NFL teams current roster to identify the state and university each of their players came from. 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. 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. 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. Data was culled from Pro Football Reference to figure out which states have over- or underperformed based on the expected number of NFL quarterbacks produced, decided by population size and the number of Division I programs in a state. Bottom line:Florida is the only state to place three schools in the top 25, and despite FSU having the most recent success of the three programs, the Seminoles rank last in the Battle for Florida. These high schools have produced the most NFL players. 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. Unfortunately, the two never shared a backfield while at Iowa, or maybe thats fortunate for opposing quarterbacks. Follow on Twitter @RichExner or see previous stories at cleveland.com/datacentral. Help keep the momentum going by rejoining our member community today. With the 2021 NFL Draft now firmly in the rearview mirror, here's an updated look at the 25 schools with the most all-time NFL Draft picks. 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. 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. The University of Alabama has produced the most pro athletes out of college, though, with 82. Despite that, Washington has attracted many of the top players in the nation and its reach goes beyond its Seattle campus. But even the most diehard of Notre Dame fans would admit that their best days are well behind them. 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. 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. 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. 25. 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 Georgia, one NFL player is played for every 81,409 people, while in Florida, one is played for every 91,847 people. But which high schools are "football factories" like major college programs such as Alabama, Ohio State and USC? Bottom line:Illinois never won a national championship, but the Illini had two of the most iconic players in NFL history. The Penn State Nittany Lions, who began play in 1889, are among the most storied programs in . California and Texas are still at the top of the list. Remember, were talking about per capita here. These five state's account for close to 50% of. as well as other partner offers and accept our. From John Brodie and Jim Plunkett to John Elway and Andrew Luck, there's a reason Stanford has a reputation as Quarterback U. Stay up to date with what you want to know. This site .css-110721q{color:#0079F0;}contains commercial content. We also took the combined data we had gathered and made a slightly different graphic for the entire history of the NFL. You have to credit Mississippi Today. In the City of Miami, State of Florida, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School produces the most NFL players. But well take what we can get. 3 is Georgia (one in 78,761). - 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. Nevertheless, with names like Bo Jackson, Ronnie Brown, and Stephen Davis, the Tigers have been a football factory at producing NFL running backs. In the college game, Tennessee has fallen off over the last 20 years, recording just two top-10 finish over that span. 4-year graduation rate: 90%. How 'bout them Hogs? Mississippi State upends No. Heck, it doesnt even finish in the top two in its own division thanks to the two participants of "The Game" beating them out. Thats a no-brainer. But in recent years, the states that are football factories has shifted a little. Weve looked at the top states for producing NFL players, but how about the most successful schools within those states? Most touchdowns in NFL: James Lofton (76), Most games played in NFL: John Elway (234). 2 is Louisiana (one in 76,837) .. No. 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. 64 overall) of the San Diego Chargers in the 1973 NFL draft. Despite having the most players all-time, the Fighting Irish ranked eigth in active players for the 2022 NFL season. This college has also produced the second-most players in the 2021 season. Bottom line:Pittsburgh has just six Top 25 finishes in the last 35 years and hasnt won more than 10 games since 1981. Editorial cartoons and photo essays are not included under the Creative Commons license and therefore do not have the "Republish This Story" button option. Some colleges excel at producing Fortune 500 CEOs. 1. Oliver Luck hailed from St. Ignatius, but the 44113 doesn't get credit for his son Andrew, who went to high school in Texas. Thats more than much larger states such as New York (7) and New Jersey (6). Alabama, Ohio State, and LSU have been at the forefront of the supply chain of great talent for the NFL. 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. Every April, a new crop of young men try to make the leap from college to the pros where they will try to carve out a career for themselves in the NFL. The state of California has produced the most players in today's NFL. 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. Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. Brees also won a Super Bowl (XLIV), was Super Bowl MVP, a 13-time Pro Bowler and a one-time All-Pro. Total enrollment in fall 2021: 13,139. Most touchdowns in NFL: Tony Gonzalez (111), Most games played in NFL: Tony Gonzalez (270). Second is Ohio State with 67, followed by LSU with 62. By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with Mississippi Today. pic.twitter.com/bxIOhq6fqz, Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) September 13, 2018. Nearly 900 players came from the USC and UCLA campuses (separated by just 11 miles), but the majority of those are singing "Fight On.". Heres a breakdown of every states active NFL players. 4 on the leagues all-time passing yardage list. Oct 6, 2011, 8:10 AM Historically, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania have been hotbeds for football talent. The most NFL players have come from Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Miami, Florida, and the state of Florida. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Heres the breakdown: There are three colleges that have dominated Florida football for decades. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Try selecting a different location. 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? Trevor Lawrence, of Cartersville High, and Justin Fields, of Harrison High, became the top two recruits in the nation in 2018. 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. The most prolific quarterback state of the 2010s is Florida with nine, including Lamar Jackson and Teddy Bridgewater. Pennsylvania - 443.4 That is, the Magnolia State, relatively small and poor in so many ways, kicks tail when it comes to producing football talent. . Ohio State is just one of three colleges to produce more than 400 NFL players. Others create politicians. 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. Out of all colleges, Notre Dame has produced 521 players selected in the NFL draft. So we set out to determine what state produces the most NFL players. The 2022 season has seen 58 active players from the Alabama lineage. Jones was a Razorback starter at offensive guard and co-captain when the team won the national title. The only thing missing from Washingtons NFL alumni is a successful wide receiver. Mississippi produces more NFL players per capita than any other state, and its not really that close. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelors in journalism, Rick has worked for the Monroe (La.) 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).