Players from North Carolina with no earlier college roster elsewhere in the data filled 35% of roster spots in 2016 and 26% on the 2026 roster.
In 2016, 34 of 98 roster spots were filled by North Carolina players not previously rostered elsewhere in the data. On the 2026 roster, 23 of 89 fit the same definition. The number of players previously rostered elsewhere changed from 0 to 25.
The median hometown distance moved from 191 mi in 2016 to 230 mi on the 2026 roster. The reliable geography record begins in 2008. Among players with a known home state, 63% were from North Carolina, compared with 30% on the 2026 roster.
Before and during the portal era
2016–18 compared with 2021–25
- In-state, not rostered elsewhere
- Previously rostered elsewhere
| Measure | 2016–18 | 2021–25 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-state, not rostered elsewhere | 40.5% | 33.6% | |
| Previously rostered elsewhere | 1.2% | 16.0% |
The 2026 roster
- 336 miAverage hometown distanceAverage hometown distance among 83 located players.
- 29.5%In-state29.5% of players with a known home state are from North Carolina.
- 16.9%Backyard16.9% of players with a located hometown grew up within 100 miles of campus.
- 28.1%Previously rostered elsewhere28.1% of the roster appeared on another college roster in an earlier season.
Where App State ranks
Homecoming Radius over time
The median hometown-to-campus distance, by season. The dotted line is the FBS median.
Roster composition over time
Where the in-state lens draws the line: home-state players with and without an earlier college roster, out-of-state players with and without one, and players with unknown geography. This chart begins where stable athlete IDs make transfer detection possible; the radius chart above carries the official-archive geography farther back.
Where do App State's players come from?
| Season | Roster | In-state | Rostered elsewhere | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 89 | 29.5% | 28.1% | 230 mi |
| 2025 | 113 | 22.3% | 31.0% | 245 mi |
| 2024 | 120 | 39.5% | 20.0% | 178 mi |
| 2023 | 115 | 43.5% | 13.9% | 157 mi |
| 2022 | 116 | 42.2% | 7.8% | 174 mi |
| 2021 | 110 | 43.1% | 7.3% | 173 mi |
| 2020 | 121 | 45.0% | 5.0% | 163 mi |
| 2019 | 120 | 48.7% | 3.3% | 164 mi |
| 2018 | 108 | 46.7% | 2.8% | 134 mi |
| 2017 | 113 | 43.4% | 0.9% | 165 mi |
| 2016 | 98 | 34.7% | 0.0% | 191 mi |
| 2015 | 104 | 38.5% | 0.0% | 187 mi |
| 2014 | 110 | 41.3% | 0.0% | 173 mi |
| 2013archive | 103 | 54.4% | 0.0% proxy | 162 mi |
| 2012archive | 108 | 57.0% | 0.0% proxy | 152 mi |
| 2011archive | 135 | 53.7% | 0.0% proxy | 145 mi |
| 2010archive | 93 | 51.6% | 0.0% proxy | 156 mi |
| 2009archive | 104 | 58.7% | 0.0% proxy | 131 mi |
| 2008archive | 98 | 63.3% | 0.0% proxy | 142 mi |
In-state shares use players with a known home state. Radius uses located hometowns.
archive = official athletic-site roster. “Proxy” is the share listing a previous school where that field behaved like a transfer field; it is not the same measure as the share previously rostered elsewhere.
Where the roster grew up
Located hometowns on the 2026 roster, with campus marked and the Homecoming Radius circled.
Homecoming Radius: 230 mi