Saint Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), with 12 players, tops the list of high schools with the most players on 2017 NFL Kickoff Weekend rosters, the NFL announced today.
NFL players hail from 1,363 high schools in 46 states and the District of Columbia, seven countries and a U.S. territory (American Samoa). The totals are based on the 1,695 men on Kickoff Weekend rosters.
HIGH SCHOOLS WITH THE MOST NFL PLAYERS
High School, City, State | Number | NFL Players |
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Ft. Lauderdale, FL |
12 | Geno Atkins, CIN; Giovani Bernard, CIN; Joey Bosa, LAC; Phillip Dorsett, NE; Marcus Gilbert, PIT; Bobby Hart, NYG; Lamarcus Joyner, LAR; Brandon Linder, JAX; Michael Palardy, CAR; Jake Rudock, DET; James White, NE; Sam Young, MIA |
Long Beach Polytechnic High School, Long Beach, CA |
7 | Jayon Brown, TEN; Jurrell Casey, TEN; Kaelin Clay, BUF; DeSean Jackson, TB; Marcedes Lewis, JAX; Jamize Olawale, OAK; JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT |
Glades Central High School, Belle Glade, FL |
6 | Kelvin Benjamin, CAR; Travis Benjamin, LAC; Jatavis Brown, LAC; Cre’von LeBlanc, CHI; Deonte Thompson, CHI; Clive Walford, OAK |
Glenville High School, Cleveland, OH |
6 | Frank Clark, SEA; Jayrone Elliott, DAL; Ted Ginn, Jr., NO; Willie Henry, BAL; Cardale Jones, LAC; Marshon Lattimore, NO |
Chandler High School, Chandler, AZ |
5 | Brett Hundley, GB; Cameron Jordan, NO; Paul Perkins, NYG; William Poehls, JAX; Markus Wheaton, CHI |
Colton High School, Colton, CA |
5 | Nat Berhe, NYG; Tyler Ervin, HOU; Jimmy Smith, BAL; Daniel Sorensen, KC; Shareece Wright, BUF |
Crenshaw High School, Los Angeles, CA |
5 | Dominique Hatfield, LAR; Marcus Martin, CLE; Brandon Mebane, LAC; Hayes Pullard, LAC; De’Anthony Thomas, KC |
Lakewood High School, St. Petersburg, FL |
5 | Rodney Adams, MIN; Dante Fowler, Jr., JAX; Shaquill Griffin, SEA; Austin Reiter, CLE; Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, NYG |
West Monroe High School, West Monroe, LA |
5 | Michael Hunter, NYG; Barkevious Mingo, IND; Cam Robinson, JAX; Andrew Whitworth, LAR; Xavier Woods, DAL |
Woodland Hills High School, Pittsburgh, PA |
5 | Rob Gronkowski, NE; Quinton Jefferson, LAR; Rontez Miles, NYJ; Lafayette Pitts, JAX; Ejuan Price, LAR |
11 high schools have four players each in the NFL this year. 40 schools boast three NFLers, while 168 have two players apiece:
High School, City, State | NFL Players | High School, City, State | NFL Players |
De La Salle Catholic High School, Concard, CA | 4 | Miami Northwestern High School, Miami, FL | 4 |
Elder High School, Cincinnati, OH | 4 | Pickerington High School Central, Pickerington, OH | 4 |
Lakeland High School, Lakeland, FL | 4 | Servite High School, Anaheim, CA | 4 |
Mansfield High School, Mansfield, TX | 4 | Timpview High School, Provo, UT | 4 |
Miami Central High School, Miami, FL | 4 | Westlake High School, Austin, TX | 4 |
Miami Norland High School, Miami Gardens, FL | 4 | ||
Number of high schools with 3 NFL players: 40 | |||
Number of high schools with 2 NFL players: 168 | |||
Number of high schools with 1 NFL player: 1,134 |
HOME STATES: Florida tops the list of states with the most NFL players (212), followed by California (191) and Texas (179):
STATES WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS
State | NFL Players | State | NFL Players |
Florida | 212 | Pennsylvania | 59 |
California | 191 | New Jersey | 52 |
Texas | 179 | South Carolina | 52 |
Georgia | 120 | North Carolina | 49 |
Ohio | 82 | Illinois | 41 |
Alabama | 62 | Michigan | 40 |
Louisiana | 59 | Virginia | 38 |
HOMETOWNS: Miami heads the list of hometowns with the most players (25), followed by Houston (17), Fort Lauderdale (15) and Cincinnati (14):
HOMETOWNS WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS
Hometown | NFL Players | Hometown | NFL Players | |
Miami, FL | 25 | Las Vegas, NV | 11 | |
Houston, TX | 17 | New Orleans, LA | 11 | |
Fort Lauderdale, FL | 15 | Tampa, FL | 11 | |
Cincinnati, OH | 14 | Birmingham, AL | 10 | |
Pittsburgh, PA | 12 | Dallas, TX | 10 | |
Washington, DC | 12 | Detroit, MI | 10 | |
Cleveland, OH | 11 | Los Angeles, CA | 10 |
NFL PLAYERS PER CAPITA: The District of Columbia, with one NFL player for every 54,702 residents, leads the list of NFL players per capita. Louisiana (one in 76,837) and Alabama (one in 77,093) round out the top three. The national average is one NFL player per 184,546 U.S. residents.
STATES WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS PER CAPITA
State | Population * | NFL Players | NFL Players Per Capita | |
District of Columbia | 601,723 | 11 | 1 NFL player per 54,702 people | |
Louisiana | 4,533,372 | 59 | 1 NFL player per 76,837 people | |
Alabama | 4,779,736 | 62 | 1 NFL player per 77,093 people | |
Georgia | 9,687,653 | 120 | 1 NFL player per 80,730 people | |
Florida | 18,801,310 | 212 | 1 NFL player per 88,685 people | |
South Carolina | 4,625,364 | 52 | 1 NFL player per 88,949 people | |
Mississippi | 2,967,297 | 24 | 1 NFL player per 123,637 people | |
Hawaii | 1,360,301 | 11 | 1 NFL player per 123,664 people | |
Texas | 25,145,561 | 179 | 1 NFL player per 140,478 people | |
Ohio | 11,536,504 | 82 | 1 NFL player per 140,689 people | |
United States | 308,745,538 | 1,673 | 1 NFL player per 184,546 people | |
* Based on most recent published U.S. Census Data (2010). |
NOTE: To obtain a complete list of NFL players’ high schools, states and hometowns, click here