Football Information
2021
Regular
English
There were 19 players from Miami (Fla.) 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
Hometown | NFL Players | Hometown | NFL Players |
Miami, FL | 19 | Jacksonville,
FL | 12 |
Houston, TX | 18 | Philadelphia,
PA | 12 |
New Orleans,
LA | 15 | Plantation,
FL | 12 |
Detroit, MI | 14 | Cleveland,
OH | 11 |
Bradenton, FL | 12 | Tampa,
FL | 11 |
Cincinnati,
OH | 12 | Richmond,
VA | 10 |
Fort
Lauderdale, FL | 12 | St.
Louis, MO | 10 |
With six cities boasting at least 11 NFL players, Florida continued to
lead the league in home states. More NFL players (192) graduated from high
schools in Florida than any other state, according to 2021 NFL Kickoff Weekend
rosters. Texas (189), California (168) and Georgia (124) each produced over 100
NFL players.
STATES WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS
State | NFL Players | State | NFL Players |
Florida | 192 | Alabama | 58 |
Texas | 189 | New Jersey | 56 |
California | 168 | Illinois | 51 |
Georgia | 124 | Michigan | 49 |
Ohio | 70 | Maryland | 43 |
Louisiana | 68 | South Carolina | 43 |
North Carolina | 61 | Virginia | 42 |
Pennsylvania | 61 | Tennessee | 35 |
IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., 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, State | Number | NFL Players |
IMG Academy; Bradenton, FL | 12 | Andre 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, FL | 11 | Damon 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, FL | 9 | Brian 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, FL | 6 | Tutu Atwell, LAR; Deandre Baker, KC; Teddy Bridgewater,
DEN; Artie Burns, CHI; Amari Cooper, DAL; Lavonte David, TB. |
Allen High School; Allen, TX | 5 | Bobby Evans, LAR; Jalen Guyton, LAC; Greg Little, MIA;
Kyler Murray, AZ; Levi Onwuzurike, DET. |
Bingham High School; South Jordan, UT | 5 | Harvey Langi, NE; Star Lotulelei, BUF; Dax Milne, WAS;
Dalton Schultz, DAL; Jay Tufele, JAX. |
Desoto High School; Desoto, TX | 5 | A.J. Green, CLE; Von Miller, DEN; Jalen Mills, NE; James
Proche, BAL; Laviska Shenault, JAX. |
Stephenson High School; Stone Mountain, GA | 5 | Mike 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, State | High School; City, State |
Archbishop
Wood High School; Warminster, PA | Miami
Norland High School; Miami, FL |
Cass
Technical High School; Detroit, MI | Norcross
High School; Norcross, GA |
Cathedral
High School; Indianapolis, IN | North
Shore High School; Houston, TX |
Don
Bosco Preparatory High School; Ramsey, NJ | Plano
Senior High School; Plano, TX |
Imhotep
High School; Philadelphia, PA | Saint
Louis High School; Honolulu, HI |
Lakewood
High School; Saint Petersburg, FL | St.
Augustine High School; New Orleans, LA |
Long
Beach Poly; Long Beach, CA | Westlake
High School; Austin, TX |
Longview
High School; Longview, TX | Wylie
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
State | Population * | NFL Players | NFL
Players Per Capita |
Louisiana | 4,657,757 | 68 | 1 NFL player
per 68,496 people |
Georgia | 10,711,908 | 124 | 1 NFL player
per 86,386 people |
Alabama | 5,024,279 | 58 | 1 NFL player
per 86,626 people |
Mississippi | 2,961,279 | 33 | 1 NFL player
per 89,736 people |
District of
Columbia | 689,545 | 7 | 1 NFL player
per 98,506 people |
Florida | 21,538,187 | 192 | 1 NFL player
per 112,178 people |
South
Carolina | 5,118,425 | 43 | 1 NFL player
per 119,033 people |
Utah | 3,271,616 | 26 | 1 NFL player
per 125,831 people |
Delaware | 989,948 | 7 | 1 NFL player
per 141,421 people |
Maryland | 6,177,224 | 43 | 1 NFL player
per 143,656 people |
| | | |
United
States | 331,449,281 | 1,725 | 1 NFL
player per 192,145 people |
*Based on most recent published
U.S. Census Data (2020)
NOTE: To
obtain a complete list of NFL players' high schools, states and hometowns, click here.
