2024 NFL Week 1 rosters: Texas high schools lead state-by-state breakdown with 184 former players in the league

"Big Four" high school football states combine to produce nearly 40 percent of players in the league.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Thomas Frey
By
Sep 9, 2024, 10:00am
California, Florida, Georgia and Texas are high school football hotbeds ripe with future NFL talent. Headlined by stars like Patrick Mahomes of Whitehouse (Texas), Patrick Surtain II of American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), C.J. Stroud of Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) and Tyreek Hill of Coffee (Douglas, Ga.), the "Big Four" combine to represent 39 percent of the 1,708 active NFL players.

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.
(Graphic: Ryan Escobar)
(Graphic: Ryan Escobar)
Texas on top
Lone 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.

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