Florida leads the way in producing the most NFL Players on Kickoff Weekend Rosters

NFL PlayFootball
gamestrat high school football sideline instant replay

When the National Football League kicked-off the 2021 season last weekend, there were more former Florida high school football players on Kickoff Weekend rosters than any other state.

According to a news release from the NFL, there were 192 Floridians spread across 32 team rosters. Texas had the second most players with 189, followed by California with 168 and Georgia with 124.

STATES WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS

StateNFL PlayersStateNFL Players
Florida192Alabama58
Texas189New Jersey56
California168Illinois51
Georgia124Michigan49
Ohio70Maryland43
Louisiana68South Carolina43
North Carolina61Virginia42
Pennsylvania61Tennessee35

There were 19 players from Miami, Florida high schools on Kickoff Weekend rosters, the most of any city. Houston produced the second-most players in 2021 (18), after leading the NFL with 24 players last year. New Orleans ranked third this year with 15 players.

One of the players from Miami is 2020 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award winner and Denver Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, whose Miami Northwestern Senior High School is one of four schools with more than five NFL players on Kickoff Weekend rosters.

“It challenged you because everyone was talented,” said Bridgewater on how playing football in Florida prepared him for the NFL. “Every neighborhood, you go out and play sandlot football, you go play organized football and the talent level is there. In high school you’re going against some of the best athletes in the country. I think that prepared me for where I am today.”

HIGH SCHOOL CITIES WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS

HometownNFL PlayersHometownNFL Players
Miami, FL19Jacksonville, FL12
Houston, TX18Philadelphia, PA12
New Orleans, LA15Plantation, FL12
Detroit, MI14Cleveland, OH11
Bradenton, FL12Tampa, FL11
Cincinnati, OH12Richmond, VA10
Fort Lauderdale, FL12St. Louis, MO10

IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, produced the most NFL players on 2021 NFL Kickoff Weekend rosters. South Florida continues to produce a plethora of NFL talent as well, as three of the four high schools with the most NFL players each hail from the region. Fort Lauderdale’s Saint Thomas Aquinas High School, with 11 individuals, had led the nation in players on NFL Kickoff rosters in eight of the past nine seasons (2012, 2014-20). It tied for the lead in 2013.

HIGH SCHOOLS WITH THE MOST NFL PLAYERS

High School, City, StateNumberNFL Players
IMG Academy; Bradenton, FL12Andre Cisco, JAX; Grant Delpit, CLE; Robert Hainsey, TB; K.J. Hamler, DEN; Tony Jones, NO; Joshua Kaindoh, KC; Tyler Mabry, SEA; Tre’ McKitty, LAC; Kellen Mond, MIN; Greg Newsome, CLE; K.J. Osborn, MIN; Cesar Ruiz, NO.
Saint Thomas Aquinas High School;Fort Lauderdale, FL11Damon Arnette, LV; Giovani Bernard, TB; Joey Bosa, LAC; Nick Bosa, SF; Lamarcus Joyner, NYJ; Brandon Linder, JAX; Elijah Moore, NYJ; Michael Palardy, MIA; Josh Palmer, LAC; Wyatt Ray, CIN; James White, NE.
American Heritage; Plantation, FL9Brian Burns, CAR; Tyson Campbell, JAX; Khalil Herbert, CHI; Isaiah McKenzie, BUF; Sony Michel, LAR; Anthony Schwartz, CLE; Tedarrell Slaton, GB; Pat Surtain II, DEN; Marco Wilson, AZ.
Miami Northwestern Senior High School;Miami, FL6Tutu Atwell, LAR; Deandre Baker, KC; Teddy Bridgewater, DEN; Artie Burns, CHI; Amari Cooper, DAL; Lavonte David, TB.
Allen High School; Allen, TX5Bobby Evans, LAR; Jalen Guyton, LAC; Greg Little, MIA; Kyler Murray, AZ; Levi Onwuzurike, DET.
Bingham High School; South Jordan, UT5Harvey Langi, NE; Star Lotulelei, BUF; Dax Milne, WAS; Dalton Schultz, DAL; Jay Tufele, JAX.
Desoto High School; Desoto, TX5A.J. Green, CLE; Von Miller, DEN; Jalen Mills, NE; James Proche, BAL; Laviska Shenault, JAX.
Stephenson High School; Stone Mountain, GA5Mike Davis, ATL; Chauncey Rivers, GB; Preston Smith, GB; Montez Sweat, WAS; D.J. Wonnum, MIN.

Sixteen high schools had four players each on NFL Kickoff Weekend rosters this year:

High School; City, StateHigh School; City, State
Archbishop Wood High School; Warminster, PAMiami Norland High School; Miami, FL
Cass Technical High School; Detroit, MINorcross High School; Norcross, GA
Cathedral High School; Indianapolis, INNorth Shore High School; Houston, TX
Don Bosco Preparatory High School; Ramsey, NJPlano Senior High School; Plano, TX
Imhotep High School; Philadelphia, PASaint Louis High School; Honolulu, HI
Lakewood High School; Saint Petersburg, FLSt. Augustine High School; New Orleans, LA
Long Beach Poly; Long Beach, CAWestlake High School; Austin, TX
Longview High School; Longview, TXWylie High School; Wylie, TX


Overall, NFL players hail from high schools in 47 states and the District of Columbia, five countries – Australia, Belgium, Canada, England and the United States – and a U.S. territory (American Samoa). The totals are based on the 1,725 players on Kickoff Weekend rosters.


NFL PLAYERS PER CAPITA
:  Louisiana, with one NFL player for every 68,496 residents, leads the list of NFL players per capita. Georgia (one in 86,386) and Alabama (one in 86,626) round out the top three. The national average is one NFL player per 192,145 U.S. residents.

STATES WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS PER CAPITA

StatePopulation *NFL PlayersNFL Players Per Capita
Louisiana4,657,757681 NFL player per 68,496 people
Georgia10,711,9081241 NFL player per 86,386 people
Alabama5,024,279581 NFL player per 86,626 people
Mississippi2,961,279331 NFL player per 89,736 people
District of Columbia689,54571 NFL player per 98,506 people
Florida21,538,1871921 NFL player per 112,178 people
South Carolina5,118,425431 NFL player per 119,033 people
Utah3,271,616261 NFL player per 125,831 people
Delaware989,94871 NFL player per 141,421 people
Maryland6,177,224431 NFL player per 143,656 people
    
United States331,449,2811,7251 NFL player per 192,145 people

Click here to visit NFL Play Football

Play Football

nfl play football

About the Author

Jeff Fisher
Jeff is an award-winning journalist and expert in the field of high school sports, underscored with his appearance on CNBC in 2010 to talk about the big business of high school football in America.Jeff turned to his passion for high school football into an entrepreneurial venture called High School Football America, a digital media company focused on producing original high school sports content for radio, television and the internet.Jeff is co-founder and editor-in-chief of High School Football America, a partner with NFL Play Football.