New 2025 Rivals250

[RivalsFriedman]

New Rivals250: https://n.rivals.com/prospect_rankings/rivals250/2025
The Five-Star Countdown: https://n.rivals.com/news/rivals-rankings-week-five-star-countdown-55
New 5-stars breakdown: https://n.rivals.com/news/rivals-rankings-week-meet-the-four-new-five-stars-4
Rivals250 biggest risers: https://n.rivals.com/news/rivals-rankings-week-ten-biggest-risers-in-the-rivals250-20
Position-by-position look at new Rivals250: https://n.rivals.com/news/tuesdays-with-gorney-new-2025-rivals250-released-4

 

[ukfan1622]

Just looked at the list. There's one player from Kentucky and about 40 from Texas. I know Texas has a bigger population and football is bigger there but it seems to me the list is so regionally biased it doens't mean much. I don't think the 40th best player in Texas is way better than the 2nd best player in Kentucky.

 

[The-Hack]

I don't think the 40th best player in Texas is way better than the 2nd best player in Kentucky.

It would be interesting to go back the 24 years of Rival’s rankings and compare the collegiate and pro careers of the 40th best in Texas vs. the 2nd best in Kentucky.

But I think the greater disparity is with the northwestern and mountain states.

Anyone in Kentucky who stands out gets looked at by the folks on their way to Georgia, Florida and Bama to look at talent.

If you are special in Montana, Idaho, the Dakota’s, etc., who checks those folks out, in detail??

Likely no one.

 

[Cotaay]

If you look at NFL rosters the numbers will be something like 15-to-1 when comparing TX vs KY natives.

The big difference when putting together these high school ratings is that the hotbeds produce a more mature player. They have likely been playing longer, have better training regiments, go to bigger schools and face better competition. They are going to look better at this stage. When in doubt it’s never a bad idea to give the TX, FL, CA the benefit of the doubt because that is where half the NFL players do come from at this point.

 

[jimjeffries]

interesting data behind some of this. Not a perfect correlation, but useful. I count 14 NFL players from KY high schools according to ChatGPT for reference.

These High Schools Produced the Most NFL Players in 2023 | NFL Play Football

From Detroit to Miami, see which high schools, cities, and states produced the most NFL players on 2023 kickoff weekend rosters.

playfootball.nfl.com

 

[satcheluk]

Just looked at the list. There's one player from Kentucky and about 40 from Texas. I know Texas has a bigger population and football is bigger there but it seems to me the list is so regionally biased it doens't mean much. I don't think the 40th best player in Texas is way better than the 2nd best player in Kentucky.

If you haven't lived in these other states, then it's hard to imagine how much better the youth/HS football is. I live in FL and my father and I, when we lived in Miami, would go to random HS football games because the top games each weekend would often have between 20-30 future D1 players in the game. In KY, you're lucky to get 2-3.
And without being uncomfortably racial, just look at the demographics. The NFL is about 60% black. Kentucky has about an 8% black population and below I have pasted the states with highest and lowest black demographics.


States with the Most Black Population:

1. Texas - 3.6M
2. Georgia - 3.3M
3. Florida - 3.2M
4. New York - 3.0M
5. California - 2.2M
6. North Carolina - 2.1M
7. Maryland - 1.8M
8. Illinois - 1.8M
9. Virginia - 1.6M
10. Ohio - 1.5M

Least Black Populated States​

Wyoming reports the least number of Black or African American residents, with just 5.2K individuals. This, however, does not come as a surprise when one takes into account Wyoming's overall population status, which is the smallest in the country. Montana follows suit, home to a slightly larger Black population with 5.5K individuals. Vermont, with its Black population comprising of roughly 9.0K individuals, also falls in line with Wyoming and Montana, featuring among the states with the smallest Black populations.
Idaho houses a slightly larger Black community than Wyoming and Montana, with approximately 15.7K Black or African American residents. South Dakota and New Hampshire also feature a Black population under 25K, with figures standing at approximately 17.8K and 20.1K respectively.
Alaska, Hawaii, and Maine have marginally larger Black communities ranging from 21.9K in Alaska to 25.8K in Maine. Finally, North Dakota rounds up the ten states with the smallest Black populations, hosting an estimated 26.8K Black or African American residents.
Least Black Populated States:

1. Wyoming - 5.2K
2. Montana - 5.5K
3. Vermont - 9.0K
4. Idaho - 15.7K
5. South Dakota - 17.8K
6. New Hampshire - 20.1K
7. Alaska - 21.9K
8. Hawaii - 23.4K
9. Maine - 25.8K
10. North Dakota - 26.8k

For reference KY has about 350K which is closer to the least than the most where Texas has 10X the number of black citizens. When you dig into the data is is obvious why we can't compete equally.

 

[JHB4UK]

Kentucky is a low population, mostly rural state. Our 1 big population center, Louisville, is high poverty. No money for organized sports for the kids growing up there. Then, the high schools are very poorly funded, or what funds are available are taken by corruption.

 

[satcheluk]

Kentucky is a low population, mostly rural state. Our 1 big population center, Louisville, is high poverty. No money for organized sports for the kids growing up there. Then, the high schools are very poorly funded, or what funds are available are taken by corruption.

You shouldn't post something like that without linking evidence. Our country's school funding system is the problem. Every developed country in the world funds schools from the federal level, ensuring the entire country has relatively equal output. Our system is classist and racist, as it is funded by property taxes, thus ensuring that the rich areas have great schools and the poor areas are crappy. This is what people are referring to when they use the term institutionalized racism.

 

[jimjeffries]

Kentucky is a low population, mostly rural state. Our 1 big population center, Louisville, is high poverty. No money for organized sports for the kids growing up there. Then, the high schools are very poorly funded, or what funds are available are taken by corruption.

Mississippi, despite its similar profile of being a rural state with lower investment in public education and economic challenges, ranks impressively high in producing NFL players per capita, holding the fourth position nationwide. This discrepancy challenges the assumption that resource availability directly correlates with the development of top-tier football talent.

A notable pattern emerges when considering the broader demographic and geographical factors across the United States. States in the southern region with higher African American populations consistently contribute a substantial portion of the NFL's talent pool. This trend aligns well with the observations from player rankings on recruiting platforms, suggesting a significant, albeit complex, relationship between demographic factors and the nurturing of football talent.

 

[RDF922]

You shouldn't post something like that without linking evidence. Our country's school funding system is the problem. Every developed country in the world funds schools from the federal level, ensuring the entire country has relatively equal output. Our system is classist and racist, as it is funded by property taxes, thus ensuring that the rich areas have great schools and the poor areas are crappy. This is what people are referring to when they use the term institutionalized racism.

No it absolutely is not.

The funds are there. They are just allocated VERY inappropriately.

The Federal government should stay the *^+# away from schools. Everything they touch turns to s^*t.

 

[mrschwump]

Mississippi, despite its similar profile of being a rural state with lower investment in public education and economic challenges, ranks impressively high in producing NFL players per capita, holding the fourth position nationwide. This discrepancy challenges the assumption that resource availability directly correlates with the development of top-tier football talent.

A notable pattern emerges when considering the broader demographic and geographical factors across the United States. States in the southern region with higher African American populations consistently contribute a substantial portion of the NFL's talent pool. This trend aligns well with the observations from player rankings on recruiting platforms, suggesting a significant, albeit complex, relationship between demographic factors and the nurturing of football talent.

MS has several football playing JUCOs, KY doesn't have that. Allows for and encourages late development.

 

[JHB4UK]

You shouldn't post something like that without linking evidence.

Nah that's OK dude,I'll post facts everyone is aware of anytime

Water is wet
Sky is blue
Louisville west end and south end are high poverty areas

 

[satcheluk]

No it absolutely is not.

The funds are there. They are just allocated VERY inappropriately.

The Federal government should stay the *^+# away from schools. Everything they touch turns to s^*t.

Your anti federal government issue is clouding your comprehension. I said that every school should be funded equally out of federally collected tax dollars, not property taxes. The states would be the one's in control of disbursement. We just need to eliminate the classist system that is in place. Hell, I lived in a rich area of Lexington, so went to Henry Clay which was the best funded public school in Lexington at that time and we would play Bryan Station or even rural schools, like we played baseball in Catlettsburg and they had a damn train track going through the outfield. It's not fair to the poor to have shit public schools while the rich have great ones.

 

[satcheluk]

Nah that's OK dude,I'll post facts everyone is aware of anytime

Water is wet
Sky is blue
Louisville west end and south end are high poverty areas

Of course they are poverty is a fact, it was your corruption comment as the reason for their poor schools that I take issue with and was clearly explained in my post.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

It would be interesting to go back the 24 years of Rival’s rankings and compare the collegiate and pro careers of the 40th best in Texas vs. the 2nd best in Kentucky.

But I think the greater disparity is with the northwestern and mountain states.

Anyone in Kentucky who stands out gets looked at by the folks on their way to Georgia, Florida and Bama to look at talent.

If you are special in Montana, Idaho, the Dakota’s, etc., who checks those folks out, in detail??

Likely no one.

UGA recruited a kid from Nebraska that played 8 man football hard for 24 class, didn't get him but that is pretty small time football. But if a kid in those states you mentioned want to play major college football, some of it has to fall on them getting their tapes out to coaches to put their name out there.

A kid from Idaho, WR, who is blistering fast, 10.1 100m kid was highly recruited in 24 class, Gatlin Blair, committed to Boise St. and Mich at one point and ended up signing with Oregon. Of course is always the exception.

 

[The-Hack]

From the article linked above:

“Georgia, with one NFL player for every 71,413 residents, leads the list of NFL players per capita. Louisiana (one in 72,777) and Alabama (one in 83,738) round out the top three.”

Strange . . . it’s not as though Georgia, LSU and Bama have won college titles, lately, with this depth of talent.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

From the article linked above:

“Georgia, with one NFL player for every 71,413 residents, leads the list of NFL players per capita. Louisiana (one in 72,777) and Alabama (one in 83,738) round out the top three.”

Strange . . . it’s not as though Georgia, LSU and Bama have won college titles, lately, with this depth of talent.

The biggest difference is Georgia has so many graduates of other universities that make their way to the Atlanta area for jobs who are alumni or fans of teams from elsewhere. People don't move in masses to Alabama or even Louisana because there aren't the number of opportunities in those states. The largest classification in the state, 80% of the schools are in 5 counties surrounding Atlanta. What that means is metro Atlanta is basically out of state recruiting. Best program in the state is coached by Bama alumni, they push kids that direction, we signed a kid from 40 miles down the road this year, 1st one in 8 years. They have double digit signing D1 every year, many P5.

 

[rudd1]

You shouldn't post something like that without linking evidence. Our country's school funding system is the problem. Every developed country in the world funds schools from the federal level, ensuring the entire country has relatively equal output. Our system is classist and racist, as it is funded by property taxes, thus ensuring that the rich areas have great schools and the poor areas are crappy. This is what people are referring to when they use the term institutionalized racism.

-not to go down a rabbit hole... but funding isn't the issue.

For example: Kentucky spends roughly the same per student as Japan and a number of European countries. Maybe it's *how* the money is spent.

-also, there are rich areas and poor areas in each city/county, in Lexington for example... taxes from a specific area do not fund their local school its spread around the entire district...this is the case in most localities. Also its a percentage of property value. So if you live in a nice area you are paying considerably more money in taxes to the school system than someone who lives in a "not as nice area"... and likely paying to send your kids to another school, thereby not reaping the immediate benefit. Of course there is benefit to an educated society that one receives in theory.

^also the "rich" may own commercial/industrial/residential property that they are paying school taxes on.

-education was not federalized in the US until the late 70's. Not sure that's made anything better... that's a matter of individual perception.

-also, guaranteed access is required... guaranteed output is an impossibility.