"Big Four" high school football states combine to produce nearly 40 percent of players in the league.
Using roster data from NFL.com, we mapped out where every one of those players went to high school at the end of August when the teams cut rosters down to 53. While transfers cloud things a bit, we connected players to the high school where they finished their prep career.
Texas led the way with 184 former players in the league while 173 played their high school football in Florida, 163 participated in California and 146 in Georgia.
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) has the most alums playing in the NFL with 14, including Evan Neal, Eli Ricks and Nolan Smith. American Heritage,
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and
DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) each have nine players on active NFL rosters.
In total, 46 states and the District of Columbia are represented with a player on a NFL roster. See the map for a full breakdown below.
Texas on topLone Star State leads the way in terms of producing NFL players heading into the 2024 season.
1. Texas, 184
2. Florida, 173
3. California, 163
4. Georgia, 146
5. North Carolina, 74
6. Ohio, 63
7. Alabama, 59
8. Louisiana, 57
9. Illinois, 50
10. Michigan, 49
T11. Maryland, 48
T11. Pennsylvania, 48
13. New Jersey, 46
T14. Mississippi, 35
T14. Tennessee, 35
16. Virginia, 34
17. South Carolina, 32
18. Missouri, 30
19. Arizona, 28
20. Utah, 26
21. Indiana, 24
22. Wisconsin, 22
23. Nevada, 21
24. Oklahoma, 20
T25. Iowa, 19
T25. New York, 19
T27. Oregon, 17
T27. Washington, 17
29. Minnesota, 16
30. Massachusetts, 15
T31. Colorado, 14
T31. Kentucky, 14
T33. Connecticut, 11
T33. Hawaii, 11
T33. Kansas, 11
T36. Delaware, 6
T36. Nebraska, 6
T36. Washington D.C., 6
T39. Arkansas, 5
T39. Idaho, 5
T39. South Dakota, 5
T39. West Virginia, 5
T43.North Dakota, 4
T43. Wyoming, 4
45. Montana, 2
46. Rhode Island, 1
Jordan Divens contributed to this report.
