Texas leads all states with most HS alumni on NFL rosters
AUSTIN, Texas (BVM) – As the NFL kicks off, high school football players across the country will have their eyes focused on the screen with hopes to one day join the league on their own. For some, they will be fortunate enough to watch players from their own high school programs playing during the league’s first week.
Exactly 1,696 players are listed on 53-man rosters for Week 1 and no state is more represented than Texas. High schools in the Lone Star State have 183 former players that will take the field in the first week, seven more than the second-most state – Florida.
This is nothing new as Texas also led the league in high school alumni with 199 players. While there are no official numbers for this season, the City of Houston had the most representatives in 2022 with 19 players, marking the most in a city for the year.
While dozens of Texas schools have at least one player in the league, only a small number of them have multiple players in the NFL. This includes Allen, DeSoto, Hebron, Lake Travis, Steele and Westlake which each have four players, tied for the lead in the Lone Star State. Closely behind those programs is Longview with three alums.
The range of Texas high school players is also interesting as the state not only has a number of rookies and young up-and-coming players but also some well-known and established veterans, some of whom are the best at their positions. Among these players are 2022 MVP Patrick Mahomes of Whitehouse, Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller of DeSoto, former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield of Lake Travis and 2022 offensive rookie of the year Garrett Wilson of Lake Travis, among many more.
Texas also has a strong grouping of rookies as well. During the 2023 NFL Draft, the state had 30 former high school stars selected including four first-round picks in Christian Gonzalez of The Colony, Jaxon Smith-Njigba of Rockwall, Quentin Johnston of Temple and Tyree Wilson of West Rusk. Each of these players will look to stay in the league for many years to come and continue to represent their state and programs each step of the way.
With nearly 200 former Texas high school football stars taking to the NFL gridiron this weekend, the state will be filled with loyal fans supporting their favorite alumni. Given the state’s legacy of producing high-quality football players, expect the Lone Star State to once again be near the top if not at the top of the list next fall.
