Which state produces the best college football players? 🏈
Which state produces the best college football players?
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Although a vast number of states produce great college football players, there are a few that could likely put together their own teams of national championship caliber if their homegrown talent were combined in one place.
We took a comprehensive and somewhat hypothetical look at which five states across the country have currently produced the most top players in college football.
We ranked the top 10 players from each of the five states and broke down both sides of the ball to see which one would have the most potent offense and the strongest defense.
The state continues to produce talent at quarterback with players such as Notre Dame's Book and Arizona State's Daniels among the nation's top players at the position heading into 2020 season. The state was also home to the No. 1-ranked QB in the nation in the 2020 class, Bryce Young, out of Mater Dei High School, which is also home to two past Heisman winning quarterbacks.
Ohio State's Olave and USC's duo of St. Brown and Tyler Vaughns would create one of the most dynamic wide receiver trios in college football.
A five-star in the 2017 class, Najee Harris could be a man among boys at times while in high school at Antioch. It took some time for him to settle in at Alabama, but as a big, powerful runner with very good speed, he broke out in 2019 and looks to build upon that in 2020 as one the nation's top returning rushers.
Defensive breakdown
Defensive line hasn't always been a strength, but Thibodeaux was the top-ranked prospect in the nation in 2019 and quickly showed why once he arrived at Oregon. He developed into a productive contributor throughout his true freshman season and now, as a sophomore, is one of the nation's fiercest pass-rushers.
San Diego State's Cameron Thomas has proved to be a nice in-state find for the Aztecs, and Colorado's Johnson has been an all-conference performer in the trenches for the Buffaloes. Both underrated prospects out of high school benefited from some time to develop and are examples of how deep the talent in this big state can run.
Oregon has cultivated great success recruiting California under Mario Cristobal, and it shows not only with Thibodeaux on the defensive line but also in its secondary, with defensive backs Holland, Graham, Mykael Wright and Deommodore Lenoir all coming out of this state.
Biggest strength
Having produced a handful of Heisman-winning quarterbacks over the years, it is no surprise that one of the Golden State's strengths today is quarterback.
Book, from Oak Ridge High School, was a high three-star in the 2016 class and worked his way up to become a starter and team captain for Notre Dame, throwing for over 3,000 yards in 2019. Daniels also left the state but was more highly touted as an ESPN 300 QB and Under Armour All-American in 2019. He quickly worked his way into the starting role for Arizona State, becoming the first true freshman QB in program history to start the first game of the season.
K.J. Costello, now at Mississippi State, and Nebraska dual threat Adrian Martinez are other former ESPN 300 quarterbacks from California who have been key contributors for their programs. This being a position of strength looks to continue with the state producing two highly ranked signal-callers in the 2020 class: the aforementioned Young, a five-star prospect who signed with Alabama, and No. 1 QB-PP D.J. Uiagalelei, who signed with Clemson.
Biggest weakness
California has long been a place to find top talent at the skill positions, but finding equal talent within the trenches has not been as easy or consistent, especially along the offensive line.
At times, this argument could be made of the big men on the defensive side of the ball, but currently the O-line takes this distinction. Ohio State's Davis from the 2017 class has been a bright spot within this position, and USC's Alijah Vera-Tucker, who was also an ESPN 300 prospect in that class, is among the better OLs in the nation.
Cal's Will Craig and Oregon's Steven Jones are two examples of big men who have flashed their potential and could help reverse this trend. Despite the size of the state's population, the 2020 class included only one ESPN 300 O-line prospect. 4. Florida
Quarterback is not among the state's current strengths, but players such as Alabama's Mac Jones and Indiana's Michael Penix Jr. could represent the state well this season or in the future, respectively.
With state alumni who more recently include Calvin Ridley and Jerry Jeudy, a high bar is set at wide receiver. As a result, one could argue there is a slight dip from within the state at this position, but current players such as Auburn speedster Anthony Schwartz and Louisville's Atwell, a diminutive but quick playmaker, are among many talented Florida receivers throughout college football to keep an eye on.
Two of the best offensive linemen in college football hail from here in Leatherwood, who came out of Pensacola in 2017, and Neal, a Florida native who played at IMG Academy. Both signed with Alabama and were five-star prospects in their respective classes.
Defensive breakdown
Before opting out of the 2020 season, Miami's Rousseau led a talented group of defensive linemen in college football who came from the Sunshine State. Clemson's Davis out of Wekiva High School made an immediate impact as a true freshman and is a rising star in the trenches.
Rumph was a three-star out of Gainesville who signed with Duke and has developed into an explosive and productive edge defender.
The secondary is another area that is strongly represented in college football with top players from this state, including Ohio State's Wade and Alabama's Surtain.
Biggest strength
With the state known for its speed, it should come as no surprise that many of the top cornerbacks in college football are out of Florida. Among the leaders in this group is Wade, who was rated five stars in the 2017 class out of Jacksonville and is projected to be key for Ohio State in 2020.
Out of South Florida, Surtain is another former five-star who has met expectations and has developed into one of the premier players at this position. Samuel was a top-three ESPN 300 CB in 2018 out of powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas and is now one of the top players at the position in the ACC for Florida State.
Biggest weakness
Recruiting can be cyclical, and Florida is one of the most talent-rich states in the nation, so no position is completely a weakness. But running back is not currently among this state's strongest representations.
This hasn't always been the case, with some great college football RBs hailing from here, and players who are good examples of the talent that can still be found here at the position include Javian Hawkins, who came out of Cocoa High School in 2018 and rushed for over 1,500 yards last season for Louisville. 3. Georgia
Arguably the top two quarterbacks in college football right now, Clemson's Lawrence and Ohio State's Fields, hail from Georgia. Both head into their junior seasons having already compiled impressive résumés and lead any preseason lists of accolades at this position.
Among the other offensive positions, Georgia might not as definitively lead the pack but is still home to a lot of talent. The state has shown it can produce good O-line talent as well. The in-state Bulldogs' starting five this season could very likely be composed of all highly touted in-state players, and Morris, who came out Grayson High School -- one of the state's many powerhouse programs -- established himself as a starter at Tennessee his freshman season.
There is a good level of skilled talent in the Peach State too. Florida State's Terry and Minnesota's Bateman have developed into some of college football's top receivers.
Defensive breakdown
Many of college's football's top defensive linemen have come out of Georgia, like Derrick Brown out of Lanier High School in the 2016 class, who was a top-10 pick in the 2020 NFL draft. UAB's Smith, who tallied 10 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss last season, is a good example of the type of disruptive linemen who can come out of the Peach State.
The state has been a solid producer of talent at linebacker, with one of college football's most promising young players, Auburn's Pappoe, coming out of here in the 2019 class.
Georgia's LeCounte represents some of the highly touted defensive backs who have come out of the state and met expectations. Still, the state has a deep well of talented athletes, including Appalachian State's Jolly, an underrated prospect who has developed into an excellent defender.
Biggest strength
With the state home to the top two quarterbacks in college football, it's clear where the strength is right now. Lawrence and Fields were the top two prospects in the 2018 class, and those two continue to be closely linked. Lawrence helped lead Clemson to a national title as a true freshman and led the Tigers back to the national title game this past season, and he is considered a strong contender to be the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
Fields, who edged out Lawrence as the No. 1 overall prospect in their class, got off to a slower start after signing with Georgia but quickly displayed his big-play ability once taking over the reins at Ohio State. In his first season with the Buckeyes, he threw for over 3,000 yards, ran for nearly 500 and accounted for over 50 touchdowns while also finishing as a Heisman finalist.
Biggest weakness
With players such as Nick Chubb and Alvin Kamara having come out of Georgia in recent years, the state has certainly produced some outstanding talent at RB, but among this state's deep pool of prospects, this is a spot that is bit shallower.
Ohio State's Trey Sermon, Clemson's Lyn-J Dixon and Auburn true freshman Tank Bigsby could certainly help change this viewpoint, but currently the Peach State is not home to some of college football's top rushers heading into 2020. 2. Louisiana
The state of Louisiana will be well represented in college football at the offensive skill positions. Several of the nation's top wide receivers came out of Louisiana, including Chase and Marshall, who play for the in-state LSU Tigers.
Arguably the top returning running back in college football is Clemson's Etienne, who came out of Jennings High School in 2017. Williams was a quick and productive contributor once arriving at Kansas. John Emery, who was the No. 1-ranked RB in the 2019 class, and Tyrion Davis-Price, another ESPN 300 prospect from the same class, certainly have the ability to become productive contributors for the in-state Tigers as well.
At the Group of 5 level, Louisiana has developed a talented stable of running backs built from in-state talent with seniors Trey Ragas and Elijah Mitchell, as the pair rushed for over 1,900 yards and 27 touchdowns combined last season.
Defensive breakdown
All three levels of the defense are well represented with talent from this state. Just entering his sophomore season, Stingley has already proved to be a premier CB in college football, notching six interceptions last season and earning All-American and SEC Newcomer of the Year recognition as a freshman.
Wallow, out of John Curtis Christian, has developed into one of the nation's top LBs while at TCU and led the Big 12 in tackles last season. Alabama's Moses was sidelined last season with an injury, but is one of the most dynamic linebackers in all of college football when he's healthy. The 2017 ESPN 300 five-star prospect finished his high school career at IMG Academy in Florida but is from Louisiana.
This state has consistently produced some excellent talent in the defensive trenches with Shelvin, LSU's quick and powerful NT, currently leading that group.
Biggest strength
Being home to the returning Fred Biletnikoff Award winner, Chase, is a good start when talking about a strength. A key contributor to the Tigers' national tile run last season, Chase proved to be a big-play threat, leading the team in receiving yards as well as touchdown catches.
He was not the only talented in-state receiver to sign with LSU in the 2018 class, as Marshall was also in that class and was the No. 2-ranked WR. Marshall was also a big contributor last season, especially down the stretch, with 14 catches and five TDs over his last three games.
SEC rival Alabama also has a key contributor among its receiver corps out of Louisiana in Smith, who is a first-team preseason All-American in many eyes, out of Amite High School.
Biggest weakness
Louisiana, pound for pound, is one of the most fertile recruiting grounds for perimeter players in the nation, but a clear weakness -- and one that has been for a while -- is quarterback. The Tigers made their title run this past season with key contributions from many in-state players, but at QB it was Joe Burrow, an Ohio State transfer from Ohio.
The state has produced a few ESPN 300 quarterbacks, including Lance LeGendre, who signed with Maryland out of Warren Easton High School in the 2019 class and looks to currently have the best chance of the QBs from the state to potentially grab the reins as a starter of a Power 5 program. 1. Texas
Many great college quarterbacks have come from Texas, including Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray fairly recently, and although the next Heisman-winning QB might not be from Texas, the state is still well represented.
Players like Texas' Ehlinger, who has over 30 starts for the Longhorns; Oklahoma State's Sanders, who was the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2019, and Miami transfer King were all ESPN 300 prospects and are among the top signal-callers to keep an eye on this season. Florida's Trask was a three-star out of Manvel, Texas, who showed he should be included in the discussion among college football's top quarterbacks after getting his opportunity to lead the Gators' offense last season.
Converted QB Roschon Johnson and RB Keaontay Ingram were ESPN 300 prospects and could be a productive pair out of the backfield for Texas, and Oklahoma's Kennedy Brooks, coming off a 1,000-yard season, is another talented RB from the state. Oklahoma State's Wallace from the Fort Worth area and Alabama's Waddle, from the Houston area, are two of college football's top receivers.
Defensive breakdown Florida State's Wilson, one of th
e premier defensive linemen in college football and the No. 1-ranked DT in the Class of 2017, hails from Houston. Onwuzurike, from Allen High School, also left the state -- to sign with Washington, in his case -- and has developed into one of the top DTs in the game as well.
Paddy Fisher, who signed with Northwestern in the 2016 class, has been a tackling machine for the Wildcats. Missouri's Nick Bolton represents another of college football's top linebackers who is out of Texas.
In the secondary, former ESPN 300 prospect Paulson Adebo has become a two-time All-Pac-12 performer with Stanford. TCU kept Trevon Moehrig in-state, and he has developed into one of the country's top safeties.
Biggest strength
A big state with a strong passion for high school football, Texas, not shockingly, has a good representation throughout college football at several positions. Although a case can certainly be made for QB here, the players in the offensive trenches deserve a spotlight.
The Lone Star State has produced some of college football's current top players along the offensive line, including Stanford's Walker Little, a top-10 ESPN 300 OT from the Houston area in the 2017 class. Cosmi stayed home to play for the Longhorns and has developed into one of the nation's top linemen. Kenyon Green came out of the same high school as Cosmi and stayed in-state as well but with Texas A&M. The 2019 five-star prospect is on the rise after starting 13 games and being named to the SEC All-Freshman team this past season.
Programs from around the nation recruit from Texas, and Northwestern was able to land and develop 2017 three-star prospect Rashawn Slater out of Sugar Land, Texas, into one of the top big men in college football.
Biggest weakness
Singling out a weakness from this state was not easy, so that distinction falls to tight end. Texas A&M TE Jalen Wydermyer showed great promise during his freshman season, leading the Aggies with six touchdowns, and Brant Kuithe out of Katy, Texas, has been a productive contributor since arriving at Utah, but none of college football's premier tight ends currently hails from this talent-rich state.
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