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Which State Produces the Most NFL Players?

A new report by Doc's Sports examines NFL talent production across all U.S. states and college programs, analyzing the data of 24,517 NFL players over 50 years. We also provide insights into current 2025-2026 season patterns and projections.

Key Takeaways

  • Despite representing only 16% of the U.S. population, Southern states accounted for 6 of the top 10 per capita NFL producers historically.
  • Mississippi is leading at 15.36 players per 100k population.
  • The top 5 college programs (Ohio State, Notre Dame, USC, Penn State, and Michigan) have collectively produced 1,803 NFL players, representing 7.35% of all players from just 0.1% of U.S. colleges.

All-Time NFL Players

Geographic Distribution by State

  • California leads with 1,379 total NFL players historically
  • Texas follows closely with 1,325 players
  • Traditional football states (Florida, Ohio, Alabama) maintain strong representation

Total Historical NFL Players by State (Top 10)

  • California: 1,379 players
  • Texas: 1,325 players
  • Florida: 1,022 players
  • Ohio: 755 players
  • Alabama: 740 players
  • Pennsylvania: 721 players
  • Michigan: 716 players
  • Indiana: 714 players
  • Louisiana: 659 players
  • North Carolina: 644 players

Per Capita Analysis

The top per capita states produce NFL talent at rates 4-5x higher than large population states.

Mississippi leads dramatically with 15.36 NFL players per 100k population, followed by Alabama and Louisiana.

NFL Players per 100,000 Population (Historical - Top 20)

  • Mississippi: 15.36 per 100k (455 total players)
  • Alabama: 14.73 per 100k (740 total players)
  • Louisiana: 14.15 per 100k (659 total players)
  • Nebraska: 14.07 per 100k (276 total players)
  • Oklahoma: 12.50 per 100k (495 total players)
  • West Virginia: 11.99 per 100k (215 total players)
  • Iowa: 11.94 per 100k (381 total players)
  • Wyoming: 11.61 per 100k (67 total players)
  • Indiana: 10.52 per 100k (714 total players)
  • Utah: 10.48 per 100k (343 total players)

College Program

  • Ohio State leads with 385 total NFL players historically
  • Notre Dame second with 360 players, followed by USC with 354 players
  • Traditional powerhouses (Penn State, Michigan, LSU, Alabama) dominate top 10
  • Top 25 programs account for significant portion of NFL talent pipeline

Top 15 Colleges by Total Historical NFL Players

  • Ohio State: 385 players
  • Notre Dame: 360 players
  • USC: 354 players
  • Penn State: 352 players
  • Michigan: 352 players
  • LSU: 338 players
  • Alabama: 321 players
  • Florida: 320 players
  • Miami: 319 players
  • Georgia: 302 players
  • Florida State: 280 players
  • Nebraska: 276 players
  • Oklahoma: 271 players
  • Tennessee: 270 players
  • Texas: 265 players

Total Players by College

Data by State

2025-2026 Upcoming Season Analysis

The most significant shift is Texas overtaking California as the #1 producer of current NFL talent (119 vs 108 players).

Despite ranking 3rd in total players, Alabama leads dramatically in efficiency at 1.79 players per 100k population.

NFL Players by State (2025-2026 Season - Top 15)

  • Texas: 119 players
  • California: 108 players
  • Alabama: 90 players
  • Ohio: 71 players
  • Florida: 70 players
  • Michigan: 69 players
  • Pennsylvania: 66 players
  • North Carolina: 64 players
  • Louisiana: 61 players
  • Georgia: 59 players
  • Indiana: 50 players
  • South Carolina: 44 players
  • Oklahoma: 42 players
  • Kentucky: 41 players
  • Iowa: 40 players

Current NFL Players per 100,000 Population (2025-2026 - Top 15)

  • Alabama: 1.79 per 100k (90 players)
  • Wyoming: 1.56 per 100k (9 players)
  • Louisiana: 1.31 per 100k (61 players)
  • North Dakota: 1.28 per 100k (10 players)
  • Mississippi: 1.28 per 100k (38 players)
  • Iowa: 1.25 per 100k (40 players)
  • South Dakota: 1.13 per 100k (10 players)
  • Oklahoma: 1.06 per 100k (42 players)
  • Kentucky: 0.91 per 100k (41 players)
  • Utah: 0.89 per 100k (29 players)
  • Oregon: 0.87 per 100k (37 players)
  • South Carolina: 0.85 per 100k (44 players)
  • West Virginia: 0.84 per 100k (15 players)
  • Idaho: 0.82 per 100k (15 players)
  • Indiana: 0.74 per 100k (50 players)

Conclusions

  • Geographic Concentration: Southeastern states maintain overwhelming advantages in per capita NFL talent production.
  • Institutional Consistency: Traditional powerhouse programs continue to dominate professional placement across decades.
  • Population vs. Culture: Football culture and infrastructure matter more than raw population for per capita production.
  • Sustained Excellence: Top-producing states and colleges show remarkable consistency across different eras.
  • Current Trends: 2025-2026 data suggests these patterns will continue, with some evolution in total numbers but consistent per capita leaders.

Data by State

Data Sources and Methodology

Primary Data Sources

  • Historical NFL Player Data:
    Source: NFLverse Data Repository
    Dataset: Complete historical NFL player database
    Coverage: This analysis uses a filtered subset of historical NFL player data from the NFLverse repository (24,517 of ~27,956 available players) spanning the period 1974-2025
    Fields: Player names, positions, college affiliations, career spans, physical attributes, draft information
  • Current 2025-2026 Season Data:
    Source: Lineups.com NFL Players Database
    Dataset: Active NFL roster data for 2025-2026 season
    Coverage: 2,132 current NFL players across all 32 teams
    Fields: Player names, positions, jersey numbers, team affiliations, college information, performance ratings
  • Population Data:
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2023 estimates)
    Coverage: All 50 U.S. states
    Purpose: Per capita calculations (players per 100,000 population)

Data Transformation Process

  • Historical Data Processing:
    • Loaded 24,517 historical NFL players from NFLverse database
    • Cleaned and standardized college names (e.g., "University of Alabama" → "Alabama")
    • Created comprehensive college-to-state mapping for 200+ institutions
    • Filtered to 17,987 players with complete state attribution
    • Calculated historical totals and per capita rates by state and college
  • Current Season Data Processing:
    • Extracted 2,132 current NFL players from Lineups.com
    • Applied same college name standardization and state mapping
    • Achieved 1,526 players with complete state attribution
    • Generated current season statistics for comparison with historical patterns
  • Statistical Calculations:
    • Per capita rates calculated as (players / state population) × 100,000
    • Used 2023 U.S. Census population estimates for consistency
    • Created comparative rankings for both historical and current data
    • Generated insights on talent pipeline sustainability and trends
  • Quality Assurance:
    • Cross-validated college mappings against multiple sources
    • Verified realistic roster sizes for current season data
    • Ensured mathematical accuracy in per capita calculations
    • Documented data completeness rates and limitations

Limitations and Considerations

  • Some players lack complete college information in source databases
  • Transfer portal effects may complicate college attribution for recent players
  • International players and those from non-traditional football programs excluded from state analysis
  • Our current college player counts may not be fully exhaustive and may vary from other sources
  • Historical data may have varying completeness across different eras

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