College football’s February national signing day is Wednesday, with the final signatures being collected on the country’s top prospects.
After updating the 2023 ESPN 300 for the final time this recruiting cycle, we pored through the numbers to figure out where the majority of talent originates from.
Not only that, but we also went back over the past five recruiting cycles — since the 2019 class — to determine which states are the richest in talent. Thirty-five states are represented in the 2023 ESPN 300, from Massachusetts to California, Minnesota to Texas, Florida to Washington.
We dove into the top five states that produce the most elite college football recruits, the best prospects from each state, the in-state schools that have been successful at keeping top talent home and the out-of-state schools that have been known for poaching them.
5. Alabama
Overview: The Yellowhammer State might not have an overwhelming number of ESPN 300 prospects compared to the others on this list, but it is trending upward, including 18 prospects produced this year, the most since ESPN began ranking high school recruits in 2006. It is no coincidence that the Alabama Crimson Tide have won three national championships in the past decade; they have virtually built a fence around the state, hauling in 50% of the in-state ESPN 300 recruits produced in the last five years.
