Mississippi is the king of high school football: more players per capita in Magnolia State than any other

OXFORD, Miss. — The state of Mississippi obviously loves football. But did you know its football-playing youngsters at the high school age are more prevalent per capita than any state in the country?

That’s right.

More young men per capita are participating in high school football in the Magnolia State than in Alabama, Texas, or any other so-called “hot bed” for high school football talent. And with numbers comes opportunity.

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, there were 7.7 high school football players per 1,000 Mississippi residents during the 2021-2022 school year.

Alabama is second with 5.9 high school players per 1,000 residents. Texas is third with 5.6. No other state saw a rate greater than 5 in 1,000.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MAP OF PER CAPITA PLAYERS FOR EACH STATE. 

Across the three states of Mississippi, Alabama and Texas, one-third of the high schoolers are playing for their football team.

“From a fan perspective, it’s still the number one sport by a long shot,” said Neil Schwartz, President of Sports Business Research Network. “I think the reports of football’s demise are greatly exaggerated.”

Jeff Segars, Assistant Director and head of football for the Alabama High School Sports Association, says at the high school level it’s about more than just the players.

Jeff Segars

Mississippi’s prowess also extends to NFL

And it’s not just high school football where Mississippi’s young men are making their mark. While Mississippi is home to fewer than 1% of the nation’s population, it continues to produce NFL players unlike most any other state in the country other than Louisiana and Georgia.

In 2022, Mississippi, with a total population of 2.9 million, boasted 1 NFL player per 82,258 people in the state.

The only two states with higher per capita NFL players than the Magnolia State are Georgia (No. 1 with one NFL player per 70,940 people and a total population of 10.7 milion) and Louisiana (No. 2 with one NFL player per 71,658 people and a total population of 4.6 million).

There were 38 players from the great state of Mississippi in the 2022 NFL playoffs. And, there were more players in last year’s Super Bowl from Mississippi than from any other state.

It’s good to be the King!

(Feature image credit of Suntarine Perkins, Raleigh High School)

David Walker

David is the consummate true-freshman quarterback, first pioneering the position only a year after college freshmen were given varsity eligibility by the NCAA in 1972. In 1973, the left-handed all-state gunslinger from Sulphur, Louisiana started for the Texas A&M Aggies and earned the All-Southwest Conference Freshman of the Year award as selected by the league’s coaches. David is the first college quarterback ever awarded Freshman of the Year in the NCAA. He was only 17, and still holds the NCAA record as the youngest starting quarterback in college football history. He wore No. 8 at A&M in honor of one of his football heroes, Archie Manning.

In becoming the winningest quarterback ever at A&M, David was converted from a dual-threat QB to a triple option trailblazer. The two-time team captain led three record-breaking offenses that changed the direction of football at A&M forever, establishing once and for all the winning tradition that the Aggies had so-long desired.

As a high school head coach in Houston in the late ‘80s, David stationed his quarterback in the shotgun formation, having him reading defenses and throwing hot routes at a time when such offensive schemes were frowned upon by traditional fans and coaches. One of his quarterbacks tossed 57 passes in a single game, which stood as the all-time Greater Houston Area record for many years. 

As you can tell from his bona fides, David is extremely qualified as our expert on all things Quarterback at Ole Miss. Enjoy his exclusive analysis only here at The Rebel Walk!