No state in America has fed more talent into the SEC in recent years than the state of Georgia, and there’s numbers to back that up.
The Georgia Bulldogs are one of just five SEC programs with more in-state players than out-of-state players on its 2014 roster, and six of the SEC’s other 13 programs have more out-of-state players from the Peach State than any other state in the nation.
The state of Texas, known for its prep football prowess, had the most out-of-state players on three SEC rosters (not counting Texas A&M, of course), and the state of Alabama led all other states on two SEC rosters (not counting ‘Bama and Auburn).
Surprisingly, the state of Florida, also regarded as a high school football hotbed, only dominated one SEC roster — Georgia’s — and that’s likely due to regional ties more than anything else. Similar examples can be found in the number of Ohio products on the Kentucky roster, the number of Texas products on the LSU roster and the number of Louisiana products on the Texas A&M roster.
The Aggies had the highest proportion of in-state recruits on its roster of any team in the SEC this season, which should come as no surprise considering A&M is the lone SEC school in the conference’s most populated state: Texas.
The SEC’s only two teams with losing records in 2014 each had the highest proportion of out-of-state recruits in the conference. Kentucky’s roster was made up of more than 79 percent out-of-state players, while Vanderbilt’s was comprised of 82 percent non-Tennessee products.
Take a look at how each SEC roster breaks down in terms of in-state and out-of-state players, and which states dominated SEC rosters in 2014:
| Team | In-state | Out-of-state | State with most players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 41 | 73 | Georgia — 17 |
| Arkansas | 35 | 73 | Texas — 17 |
| Auburn | 29 | 68 | Georgia — 30 |
| Florida | 83 | 32 | Georgia — 10 |
| Georgia | 63 | 30 | Florida — 17 |
| Kentucky | 18 | 70 | Ohio — 19 |
| LSU | 42 | 37 | Texas — 10 |
| Mississippi State | 61 | 35 | Alabama — 13 |
| Missouri | 51 | 70 | Texas — 25 |
| Ole Miss | 42 | 56 | Alabama — 11 |
| South Carolina | 39 | 66 | Georgia — 24 |
| Tennessee | 43 | 60 | Georgia — 17 |
| Texas A&M | 68 | 20 | Louisiana — 8 |
| Vanderbilt | 15 | 71 | Georgia — 17 |
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
