[su_spacer size=”20″] The close-the-borders argument that one hears so often from UGA fans is an impossible task. There is just too much talent. [su_spacer size=”40″] [su_quote style=”modern-light” cite=”FoxSports” url=”http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/story/study-more-sec-talent-comes-from-georgia-than-any-other-state-061815″] Over the past decade, no state has produced more SEC players than Georgia. That’s the verdict from a recently completed ESPN study of which states generated the most SEC signees and players from 2006-15.
[su_spacer size=”10″] It wasn’t even close, either, which might come as a surprise given Florida’s lofty reputation as a talent hotbed. The Peach State produced 582 signees in those 10 years, while Florida came in second with 520 signees. After that came Texas with 419 (keep in mind that these were only SEC signees), Alabama with 318, Mississippi with 275, Louisiana with 255, Tennessee with 198, South Carolina with 135, Arkansas with 98 and Missouri with 91.
[su_spacer size=”10″] The metropolitan rankings looked similar to the state rankings, at least at the top, with Atlanta alone producing 345 signees. Even in the state rankings, Atlanta would rank higher than all states except for Florida and Texas. Behind Atlanta were Dallas with 159 signees and Miami with 117.
[/su_quote] [su_spacer size=”40″] [su_quote style=”modern-light” cite=”ESPN” url=”http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/102510/where-do-sec-football-players-come-from-look-to-georgia-and-specifically-atlanta”]
[/su_quote] [su_spacer size=”40″] In fact, UGA does a better job of keeping talent at home than any SEC program other than TAMU:
[su_spacer size=”40″] [su_quote style=”modern-light” cite=”ESPN” url=”http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/102510/where-do-sec-football-players-come-from-look-to-georgia-and-specifically-atlanta”] In any conversation about the nation’s top football talent-producers, states such as California, Texas, Florida and Georgia will figure heavily. So it makes sense that Texas A&M (78.8 percent of its signees between 2006 and 2015 hailed from Texas), Georgia (62 percent) and Florida (60.3) boasted the most in-state talent of all SEC programs over the last decade.
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