States with the most players in the Rivals All-Time 5-Star rankings

Rivals unveiled its All-Time Five-Star ranking on Monday with the list beginning with former Ole Miss standout Robert Nkemdiche and ending with USC star Reggie Bush. As one would expect, the most talent-rich (and population-dense) states are well-represented across the board.

Florida holds an edge over Georgia and Texas for producing the most all-time five-stars, with California hot on their heels. Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina trail just behind.

With the rankings release, Rivals is breaking down where the 32 all-time five-stars hail from:

Florida – 7

The Sunshine State has produced well over 100 five-star prospects overall since 2004, so its spot on this list should come as no surprise. Former Florida standout Tim Tebow, who played high school football for Ponte Vedra (Fla.) Nease, is the highest-ranked former five-star on the all-time list. He is joined by standouts such as Pompano Beach (Fla.) Blanche Ely product Patrick Peterson and Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith, who starred on Chaminade-Madonna‘s 2022 and 2023 state championship teams.

Georgia – 5

Georgia has emerged as one of the top states for high school football talent over the last 25 years. Former Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, who starred at Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake in high school, tops the Peach State products on the all-time list. He’s joined in the ranking by Travis Hunter (Collins Hill), Trevor Lawrence (Cartersville) and the late Eric Berry (Creekside).

Texas – 5

Tied with Georgia for the second place spot is the Lone Star State, which has produced around 100 five-star recruits since 2004. Texas boast two of the top three players on the list and five of the top 12, headlined by Red River rivals Adrian Peterson (Palestine) and Vince Young (Madison).

California – 4

Seeing the three names of the players that hail from the Golden State shouldn’t surprise anyone as they’re are synonymous when it comes to college football and beyond. First up would be Reggie Bush, who played his high school ball at Helix High School before starring at the USC and then the NFL. Another is the first overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, Bryce Young, who played at Mater Dei before playing collegiately at Alabama.

Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina – 2

In a three-way tie with for the final spot on our list are all states from the Southeast.

Both players that come from Alabama on this list have had a major impact playing in college before being drafted into the NFL. Jameis Winston (Hueytown), who is currently with the NFL’s New York Giants, is on the list along with Julio Jones (Foley), who is 16th in NFL history when it comes to receiving yardage.

Among others between Louisiana and South Carolina are former No. 1 pick Jadeveon Clowney (South Pointe, S.C.) and 2017 No. 4 overall pick Leonard Fournette (St. Augustine, La.).

Notable other states with one player on the list

Utah – DL Haloti Ngata
Oklahoma – DL Gerald McCoy 
District of Columbia – QB Caleb Williams
Virginia – WR Percy Harvin
New Jersey – DT Rashan Gary