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. 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. Another amazing fact: Jackson State, alone, has produced four Hall of Famers, three of them native Mississippians. Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. 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. Led by Manning and league MVPs Brett Favre and Steve McNair, they made 732 starts in 802 games played (91.3%). West Virginia University's Morgantown recruits many of these athletes. 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. Most touchdowns in NFL: James Lofton (76), Most games played in NFL: John Elway (234). AV refers to approximate value and is PFRs attempt to quantify a players career value. Using traditional offensive and defensive formations as our guide, we were able to create a unique starting lineup of college football teams, using their logos as stand-ins. But the Texas total computes to only 8.5 players per 100,000, about one-third of what Mississippi has produced. 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. Still, they dont have decades of winning traditions, which is why they fall a little lower on this list than many might expect. No promotions available. Twelve of the 22 Washington QBs came from the greater Seattle area. What State Produces the Most NFL Players? | Action Network Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. 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. But that number dropped to 28 in 2022, due to some lean years for the Seminoles. 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. Kelly never got the program to the promised land, and Oregon still is searching for its first national championship. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images). 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. Bottom line:Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Buckeyes' NFL credentials is that they rank second in active players with 65. 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. 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. This makes up 2.79% of the NFL. Total enrollment in fall 2021: 13,139. 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. Bottom line:Another one of the schools without a national title, the Hawkeyes are a perfect nickname for Iowa because their best two players seemingly had hawk eyes. You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. Arkansas (274) 24. Read on to see the results. Stay up to date with what you want to know. The state of California has produced the most players in today's NFL. These colleges have produced the most NFL players, and they have a track record of success on the gridiron. More:Mississippi State upends No. With 56 players, Alabama's roster in 2019 is the largest. The sheer size of California and the number of universities within it has propelled the state to #2 on the list. From John Brodie and Jim Plunkett to John Elway and Andrew Luck, there's a reason Stanford has a reputation as Quarterback U. In terms of schools that have produced the most NFL players all-time, Notre Dame just edged out USC for the top spot, with Ohio State joining those historic programs as the only ones to send more than 400 players to the NFL. Founded in 2016 as the states first nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom, Mississippi Todays roots in Capitol coverage have grown to encompass a myriad of beats beyond politics and policy, including education, public health, justice, environment, equity, and, yes, sports. 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. Others create politicians. Bottom line: Oregon won a Rose Bowl in their first season in 1916. Bottom line:Wisconsin has the most NFL players of any school to never win a national championship their highest season-ending finish was No. 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. Highest AV in NFL: Randall McDaniel (129), Most touchdowns in NFL: Charley Taylor (90), Most games played in NFL: Terrell Suggs (244). 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. That is more than 1 in every 12 players currently in the league. 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. With 14 cities producing at least four players on Kickoff Weekend rosters, Texas surpassed Florida to lead the league in home states. Second is Ohio State with 67, followed by LSU with 62. 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. Despite having the most players all-time, the Fighting Irish ranked eigth in active players for the 2022 NFL season. 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. We are particularly interested in which colleges have been the most successful at sending players to the pros. 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. Once we started looking through historic roster data for various NFL teams, we really didnt want to stop. Which state produces most NFL players per capita? It's an SEC state. Mississippi averages 26.6 NFL players for every 100,000 citizens. We support responsible gambling. 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. City of Miami, State of Florida, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School Produce Most NFL Players Which state has most NFL players per capita? Without Fitzpatrick's 146 starts, the canyon between Arizona and runner-up Ohio, at 57.6% for its 34 QBs, would be even wider. Alabama, Ohio State, and LSU have been at the forefront of the supply chain of great talent for the NFL. Thats right, Mississippi, for its population, produces more pro football players than Texas, Florida, California and more than Louisiana and Alabama, as well. Which Schools Have the Most NFL Players? We believe that an informed Mississippi is a better Mississippi. is known world wide for having some of the best athletes in the world. Second is California with 187, followed by Texas (160), Georgia (97), Ohio (80), Pennsylvania (66) and Louisiana (63). The remaining seven states to crack the top 10 are Georgia, Ohio, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, North Carolina and New Jersey. a proud member of the Of the 16 Tigers to make at least one All-Pro first team, 11 were offensive players including Hall of Famers Y.A. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Half the players on NFL rosters are from just seven states, with Ohio being among the top producers of pro football talent. 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. You have to credit Mississippi Today. What College Has Produced The Most Nfl Hall Of Famers? Position U - Which schools produce the most college football talent at Building The Roster: States that produce most, least NFL players And some make NFL players. Penn State - 359 5. Graphic: The 10 U.S. States With The Most Current NFL Players How 'bout them Cowboys? 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. Johnson was on that same Arkansas team in 1964 and played defensive end during his college days. Will Furrer. 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? 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). And some make NFL players. Since 1936, when the NFL began to keep accurate roster records, Mississippi has produced 788 NFL players. Nebraska,. Bottom line: Smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania, Penn State isnt far from Ohio, New York and New Jersey. Rod Woodson already has a gold jacket and is the greatest Purdue football alum not named Brees. 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 most NFL players have come from Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Miami, Florida, and the state of Florida.