Where college football rosters come from.
In 1986, 69% of the typical team’s players came from its state or within 250 miles of campus. In 2025, it was 49%.
Share of located players “from here”
Not one story
Four teams. Four different paths.
LSU’s local core thinned. Notre Dame was already national. Fresno State stayed rooted. Michigan moved closer.
A local core thinned
LSU
Louisiana-developed players made up 59% of the 2016–18 roster and 44% in 2025. Detected transfer stock rose from 2% to 21%.
Explore LSUAlways national
Notre Dame
Notre Dame is a counterexample to a simple decline story. About 31% of its 2016–18 roster came from within 250 miles, compared with 30% in 2025.
Explore Notre DameLocal, with transfers
Fresno State
In 2025, 71% of the roster came from California, while 20% had played for another college. Local and transfer are not opposites.
Explore Fresno StateOne route back toward home
Michigan
The median listed hometown moved closer to Ann Arbor, from 646 miles away in 2009 to 432 miles in 2025. Not every roster stretched farther.
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