Nebraska - 346 6. 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. Alabama, Ohio State, and LSU have been at the forefront of the supply chain of great talent for the NFL. Alabama (17) was a distant fifth. 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. Many of the schools on this list are poised to send another great class of rookies to the NFL next season. Once we started looking through historic roster data for various NFL teams, we really didnt want to stop. 13 Texas A&M at Kyle Field, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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). Another amazing fact: Jackson State, alone, has produced four Hall of Famers, three of them native Mississippians. Champ Bailey, Hines Ward, Terrell Davis, Todd Gurley, Geno Atkins and more helped re-establish the Bulldogs as an SEC powerhouse and also left indelible marks in the NFL. The higher the AV, the greater the career he had. Louisiana, with 25 NFL QBs, including Terry Bradshaw, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, is No. Most games played:Sebastian Janikowski (284). If youre not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and include our website, You cannot republish our editorial cartoons, photographs, illustrations or graphics without specific permission (contact our managing editor. And some make NFL players. The state that produced dynamic personalities such as Favre and Gardner Minshew found a way to make an impression. North Carolina State has never been to a BCS bowl and hasn't won an ACC title since 1979. Johnson was on that same Arkansas team in 1964 and played defensive end during his college days. . We share information about your use of this site with our social media, advertising and analytics teams who may combine it with other information that youve provided to them. The remaining seven states to crack the top 10 are Georgia, Ohio, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, North Carolina and New Jersey. There are 151 NFL players that came from colleges across California. You might mention that the next time the Crimson Tide kicks your favorite teams butt, as it has done to Southern Miss (63-14), Ole Miss (42-21) and Mississippi State (49-9) this season. Bledsoe, the No. Any amount helps us keep producing quality journalism for Mississippi. All rights reserved. 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. Here is a breakdown of the states where the most active NFL players were born Sign up for notifications from Insider! They are followed by Florida, Texas, Georgia and then Ohio. 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. Top 10 States that have produced the greatest NFL quarterbacks Graphic by Ryan Escobar 1. Alabama - 319 What College Has The Most NFL Players - 2019 Alabama - 53 LSU - 51 Ohio State - 46 USC - 44 Miami - 43 Florida - 43 Yet the Panthers also have the third-most Pro Football Hall of Famers of any football program, pointing to the pull of Pittsburgh for top talent in Western Pennsylvania. Its highest touchdown scorer, Elroy Hirsch, found the end zone just 66 times. But the Texas total computes to only 8.5 players per 100,000, about one-third of what Mississippi has produced. 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. With 56 players, Alabama's roster in 2019 is the largest. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. 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. 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. Total enrollment in fall 2021: 13,139. Historically, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania have been hotbeds for football talent. Always has. 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. 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. The schools that dominate on Saturdays have their alumni playing on Sundays. 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. Mississippi State upends No. Notre Dame and USC were actually tied for the most draft selections ever entering the 2021 draft with 511. We also looked at career length to find which colleges players have the longest average careers on different NFL teams. The University of Alabama has produced the most pro athletes out of college, though, with 82. necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Despite ranking ninth in all-time NFL players, the Huskers rank just 26th in active NFL players. 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 group includes former No. More:Mississippi State upends No. However, 13 Wolverines have reached 1,000 NFL rushing yards with the latest being the greatest, Tom Brady. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not LSU's 3 permanent rivals for 9-game SEC schedule have been set, per report, Quinten Dormady, former Tennessee QB, under playbook investigation in XFL, Alabama basketball adds commitment from 4-star forward, Billy Napier addresses Florida staff openings at start of spring practice, BetMGM Massachusetts Bonus Code: How to Claim the $200 Bonus Bet Offer This Weekend, FanDuel Massachusetts Promo: Pre-Launch Special Scores $100 in Bonus Bets, Jalin Hyatt impresses in limited NFL Combine showing, WynnBET Mass Promo Code: How to Claim Big Value with Pre-Launch Bonus, BetMGM UFC 285 Promo Code: Claim $1,000 First Bet Offer on Any Fight, Texas A&M punctuates impressive SEC season with upset of No. 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. Its quality, as well. We just dont have available stats on the authors and musicians. Time will tell! 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). 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. Before making life miserable for NFL defenses, they were doing the same to opponents in college. 1. We believe that an informed Mississippi is a better Mississippi. 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. With both expected to be top picks in the draft, Georgia will soon have 19 NFL quarterbacks. . Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports shared a chart on Twitter on Thursday that breaks down which states have the most NFL players per capita. Stay up to date with what you want to know. The Sooners have only three Hall of Famers. West Virginia University's Morgantown recruits many of these athletes. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. There were at least eight Power 5 starting quarterbacks in college football last season from Arizona, but just two Arizonans started in the NFL last season (Kyle Allen and Ryan Fitzpatrick). They are from Pro Football Reference and through the 2022 NFL season. It also doesnt count, for instance, a player such as Peyton Manning whose roots are firmly in Mississippi soil and who spent much of his childhood in the Magnolia State. 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. 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. 4-year graduation rate: 90%. 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. You make the call. This website does not fully support Internet Explorer. Led by Manning and league MVPs Brett Favre and Steve McNair, they made 732 starts in 802 games played (91.3%). In terms of 2018 rosters, however, it comes as no surprise that Alabama, the premier program in college football over the last decade, leads the way with 53 players, enough for an entire official NFL roster, suiting up during the most recent season. Read on to see the results. 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. Colorado . But the program has produced some elite NFL stars. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Switzer was a center, linebacker, and captain of the 1959 team that won the Southwest Conference and Gator Bowl. Second is Ohio State with 67, followed by LSU with 62. Evans . Since 1936, 788 NFL players have come from Mississippi. But that number dropped to 28 in 2022, due to some lean years for the Seminoles. Of those, 74 have made it to the big game, with three former Buckeyes making four Super Bowl appearances each.. To learn more about our cartoon syndication services. following organizations: Whoops! 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. 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). Keep this news free and accessible to all by becoming a member and giving a recurring donation of any amount today. That is more than 1 in every 12 players currently in the league. 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. But see who makes up the rest of the top 5 in the state: North Carolina has produced a surprising number of NFL players. But the Texas total computes to only 8.5 players per 100,000, about one-third of what Mississippi has produced. He was sports editor of Hattiesburg American, executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Florida ranked third with 149. Alabama leads the way with 72 active NFL players as of the 2021-2022 season. California, with 141 quarterbacks, is tops in the union with 14 Super Bowl wins in 25 starts, three Hall of Famers, seven No. 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). Newman had Peyton and Eli Manning, and Westlake's Drew Brees and Nick Foles also led world champions. 2023 www.clarionledger.com. Brett Favre, from Kiln and Southern Miss, is No. California ranked second among all U.S. states with 151 players drafted. Oliver Luck hailed from St. Ignatius, but the 44113 doesn't get credit for his son Andrew, who went to high school in Texas. Since 1936, when the NFL began to keep accurate roster records, Mississippi has produced 788 NFL players. That's why they call scouting an inexact science. We also identified the college football programs that sent the most players to the NFL within those states. In the 1950s, 69 Spartans were drafted into the NFL, compared to just 59 from 2000 to 2019. Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. Active NFL players from Texas include Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes; Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams. Rich Exner, data analysis editor for cleveland.com, writes about numbers on a variety of topics. North Carolina can claim 121 current NFL players in the league. Most touchdowns in NFL: Tony Gonzalez (111), Most games played in NFL: Tony Gonzalez (270). California alone, at 225 active players, accounts for more than ten percent of NFL players. Nebraska, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Alabama round out the top five. Among states with SEC schools, the per capita numbers are: Mississippi (first, 26.6), Louisiana (fourth, 21.2), Alabama (fifth, 17), Arkansas (12th, 13.4), Tennessee (13th, 13.3), South Carolina (14th, 11.5), Kentucky (16th, 9.9), Texas (23rd, 8.5), Florida (34th, 6), Georgia (35th, 6) andMissouri (38th, 5.3). Bottom line: Purdue is one of the oldest college football programs. Michigan - 346 7. After all, our hometown Arizona Cardinals have the first overall pick! We are particularly interested in which colleges have been the most successful at sending players to the pros. No. Some regions of the country, though, have become well known for regularly producing NFL-caliber talent. Ousmane Diallo, a data analyst for Rise at Seven, led a team of five that did the research and tallied the results. We also looked at the three college teams who had the most players join each professional team in every decade. 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? 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. 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. We prefer Author Name, Mississippi Today in the byline. 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. 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. 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). 4 on the leagues all-time passing yardage list. 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. Second is California with 187, followed by Texas (160), Georgia (97), Ohio (80), Pennsylvania (66) and Louisiana (63). Despite putting 54 defensive backs in the NFL, including 14 first-rounders, no Bama corner has ever made a Pro Bowl. 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).