Nov 17, 2023 - News
Where Utah's college football recruits come from
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Where do Utah's college football players come from?
- Here, more than anywhere else.
By the numbers: Nearly 40% of Utah's players in the Power 5 conferences are from in-state.
- California was our second biggest player contributor, at 24%.
The big picture: An Axios analysis of recruiting data shows that, across the country, college football programs are increasingly recruiting from out of state.
Why it matters: The growing professionalization and commercialization of college athletics are reshaping the recruiting landscape.
- With the changing transfer portal system and the emergence of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals, college football programs are pressured to recruit and retain the best players regardless of academic year and geography.
Zoom out: Texas boasts the highest in-state share, with 78% of its players coming from there.
- Other states with high in-state shares include Georgia, Florida and California — traditional powerhouses in college football.
- Meanwhile, schools in the northeast and central U.S. tend to recruit more from out of state. Massachusetts has the lowest in-state share, just 20%.