Homegrown Percentage of Every College Football Team, Ranked (2026)

See what share of each 2026 FBS roster comes from the school's own state, ranked from top to bottom, plus the average by conference. San Jose State is the most homegrown, Hawaii the most national.

There is a recruiting story hiding in plain sight on every college football roster, and it has nothing to do with star ratings or transfer-portal rankings. It is geography -- specifically, how much of a team is built from its own backyard.

Across all 138 FBS programs, the average roster is 32.2% homegrown -- built on players whose listed hometown is in the same state as the school. But the range between the most and least homegrown rosters in the country is enormous. At the top, San Jose State fields a roster that is 76.7% Californian. At the bottom, Hawaii -- an island program that has to recruit almost entirely off the mainland -- checks in at just 0.9%.

Neither extreme is an accident, and neither is really about effort. It is about whether a program sits inside a deep in-state recruiting pool -- California, Texas, Florida, Georgia -- or has to import a roster out of necessity or mission. The interactive tool below lets you filter all 138 teams by tier and conference; the breakdowns and tables that follow pull out what stands out most.

Data Study

2026 College Football Roster Homegrown %, Ranked: Every FBS Team

Share of each 2026 roster from the school's own state for all 138 FBS programs, filterable by tier and conference. Homegrown = player's listed hometown state matches the school's home state.

138

FBS Teams

32.2%

FBS Avg Homegrown

76.7%

Highest · San Jose St.

0.9%

Lowest · Hawaii

View by tier

All FBS (138)Power 4 (67)Group of Five (69)Independents (2)

View by conference

SEC (16)Big Ten (18)Big 12 (16)ACC (17)American (14)Conference USA (10)MAC (13)Mountain West (10)Pac-12 (8)Sun Belt (14)

All FBS Teams · 138 teams · average homegrown 32.2% · highest San Jose State (76.7%) · lowest Hawaii (0.9%)

Power 4 · 67 teams · average homegrown 32.7% · highest TCU (72.6%) · lowest Colorado (8.4%)

Group of Five · 69 teams · average homegrown 32.3% · highest San Jose State (76.7%) · lowest Hawaii (0.9%)

Independents · 2 teams · average homegrown 8.3% · highest Notre Dame (10.6%) · lowest UConn (6.0%)

SEC · 16 teams · average homegrown 34.8% · highest Georgia (59.7%) · lowest Kentucky (12.5%)

Big Ten · 18 teams · average homegrown 30.3% · highest UCLA (50.8%) · lowest Oregon (13.6%)

Big 12 · 16 teams · average homegrown 35.7% · highest TCU (72.6%) · lowest Colorado (8.4%)

ACC · 17 teams · average homegrown 30.6% · highest Georgia Tech (54.6%) · lowest North Carolina (11.8%)

American · 14 teams · average homegrown 35.3% · highest UTSA (75.0%) · lowest Army (1.0%)

Conference USA · 10 teams · average homegrown 30.4% · highest FIU (70.8%) · lowest Western Kentucky (5.7%)

MAC · 13 teams · average homegrown 35.0% · highest Sacramento State (68.7%) · lowest UMass (20.4%)

Mountain West · 10 teams · average homegrown 24.6% · highest San Jose State (76.7%) · lowest Hawaii (0.9%)

Pac-12 · 8 teams · average homegrown 36.3% · highest Fresno State (68.1%) · lowest Boise State (10.5%)

Sun Belt · 14 teams · average homegrown 31.4% · highest Louisiana (61.0%) · lowest Arkansas State (5.3%)

Rank	Team	Homegrown	Nat'l
111	San Jose State Mountain West	76.7%	1
221	UTSA American	75.0%	2
311	TCU Big 12	72.6%	3
431	FIU Conference USA	70.8%	4
541	Sacramento State MAC	68.7%	5
651	Fresno State Pac-12	68.1%	6
762	Texas State Pac-12	67.3%	7
873	San Diego State Pac-12	66.0%	8
982	UTEP Mountain West	65.5%	9
1022	Texas Tech Big 12	64.8%	10
1133	Baylor Big 12	63.6%	11
1244	Houston Big 12	62.9%	12
1391	Louisiana Sun Belt	61.0%	13
14102	North Texas American	60.4%	14
1551	Georgia SEC	59.7%	15
16112	Georgia State Sun Belt	58.8%	16
1762	Texas SEC	56.4%	17
18123	Georgia Southern Sun Belt	54.9%	18
19133	Rice American	54.8%	19
2071	Georgia Tech ACC	54.6%	20
2183	Florida SEC	54.1%	21
22142	Kent State MAC	53.6%	22
2395	BYU Big 12	53.4%	23
24102	SMU ACC	52.3%	24
25114	Texas A&M SEC	51.2%	25
T-26T-12T-1	UCLA Big Ten	50.8%	T-26
T-26T-12T-1	USC Big Ten	50.8%	T-26
28152	Sam Houston Conference USA	50.0%	28
29164	Florida Atlantic American	49.6%	29
30146	UCF Big 12	49.1%	30
T-31175	South Florida American	46.9%	T-31
T-31153	Miami ACC	46.9%	T-31
33164	Florida State ACC	46.8%	33
34183	Ohio MAC	43.9%	34
35173	Ohio State Big Ten	43.7%	35
36193	Jacksonville State Conference USA	43.2%	36
37204	Kennesaw State Conference USA	43.0%	37
38185	California ACC	41.9%	38
39194	Maryland Big Ten	41.7%	39
40214	South Alabama Sun Belt	40.0%	40
41206	Virginia Tech ACC	38.8%	41
42217	NC State ACC	38.7%	42
43225	Louisiana Tech Sun Belt	38.2%	43
44225	LSU SEC	37.5%	44
45234	Miami (OH) MAC	37.2%	45
46236	Alabama SEC	36.7%	46
47247	South Carolina SEC	36.4%	47
48246	East Carolina American	36.1%	48
49255	Toledo MAC	35.9%	49
50267	UAB American	35.6%	50
51255	Iowa Big Ten	35.1%	51
T-52276	Ball State MAC	34.5%	T-52
T-52268	Auburn SEC	34.5%	T-52
54287	Bowling Green MAC	34.0%	54
55279	Mississippi State SEC	33.9%	55
56296	Troy Sun Belt	33.7%	56
57286	Illinois Big Ten	33.6%	57
58308	Central Michigan MAC	33.0%	58
59318	Tulsa American	32.7%	59
60297	Rutgers Big Ten	32.5%	60
61325	Middle Tennessee Conference USA	32.4%	61
62307	Cincinnati Big 12	31.5%	62
63334	Utah State Pac-12	31.2%	63
64318	Indiana Big Ten	30.9%	64
65328	Utah Big 12	30.8%	65
66339	Michigan State Big Ten	30.6%	66
T-67T-348	Pittsburgh ACC	30.1%	T-67
T-67T-3410	Tennessee SEC	30.1%	T-67
69369	Virginia ACC	29.2%	69
70349	Tulane American	28.2%	70
713710	Louisville ACC	27.5%	71
72389	Kansas Big 12	27.4%	72
733910	Nebraska Big Ten	26.7%	73
744011	Northwestern Big Ten	26.6%	74
754111	Ole Miss SEC	26.2%	75
764212	Missouri SEC	26.1%	76
774312	Wisconsin Big Ten	25.9%	77
78359	Akron MAC	25.7%	78
T-794413	Penn State Big Ten	25.0%	T-79
T-79367	Appalachian State Sun Belt	25.0%	T-79
81378	Southern Miss Sun Belt	24.8%	81
T-823810	Eastern Michigan MAC	24.6%	T-82
T-824513	Arkansas SEC	24.6%	T-82
844611	Stanford ACC	24.1%	84
854714	Washington Big Ten	23.8%	85
863910	Temple American	23.5%	86
874810	Arizona Big 12	23.1%	87
T-88T-40T-9	Marshall Sun Belt	22.5%	T-88
T-88T-40T-9	Old Dominion Sun Belt	22.5%	T-88
904211	Buffalo MAC	22.0%	90
914312	Western Michigan MAC	21.6%	91
92443	Nevada Mountain West	21.4%	92
T-934912	Clemson ACC	21.3%	T-93
T-93454	Northern Illinois Mountain West	21.3%	T-93
95466	Missouri State Conference USA	21.2%	95
964711	Charlotte American	20.9%	96
97487	Liberty Conference USA	20.8%	97
984913	UMass MAC	20.4%	98
995015	Purdue Big Ten	20.2%	99
T-100T-5111	Kansas State Big 12	20.0%	T-100
T-100T-5114	Oklahoma SEC	20.0%	T-100
T-1025312	Iowa State Big 12	19.8%	T-102
T-102505	Washington State Pac-12	19.8%	T-102
1045416	Minnesota Big Ten	19.6%	104
1055111	Coastal Carolina Sun Belt	19.4%	105
1065513	Oklahoma State Big 12	19.1%	106
1075615	Vanderbilt SEC	17.4%	107
1085212	Louisiana-Monroe Sun Belt	17.0%	108
T-109T-5312	Memphis American	16.7%	T-109
T-109T-5313	James Madison Sun Belt	16.7%	T-109
1115713	Syracuse ACC	16.4%	111
112555	UNLV Mountain West	16.0%	112
1135817	Michigan Big Ten	14.7%	113
114566	North Dakota State Mountain West	14.6%	114
T-115T-5914	Arizona State Big 12	13.9%	T-115
T-115T-5914	Duke ACC	13.9%	T-115
117576	Colorado State Pac-12	13.8%	117
118587	Oregon State Pac-12	13.7%	118
1196118	Oregon Big Ten	13.6%	119
T-1205913	Navy American	13.0%	T-120
T-1206215	Boston College ACC	13.0%	T-120
1226316	Wake Forest ACC	12.6%	122
1236416	Kentucky SEC	12.5%	123
1246517	North Carolina ACC	11.8%	124
125607	New Mexico Mountain West	10.8%	125
12611	Notre Dame Independent	10.6%	126
127618	Boise State Pac-12	10.5%	127
1286615	West Virginia Big 12	10.2%	128
129628	Wyoming Mountain West	9.8%	129
130638	New Mexico State Conference USA	8.6%	130
T-131T-649	Delaware Conference USA	8.5%	T-131
T-131T-649	Air Force Mountain West	8.5%	T-131
1336716	Colorado Big 12	8.4%	133
13422	UConn Independent	6.0%	134
1356610	Western Kentucky Conference USA	5.7%	135
1366714	Arkansas State Sun Belt	5.3%	136
1376814	Army American	1.0%	137
1386910	Hawaii Mountain West	0.9%	138

Data: official team athletics rosters, 2026 season. Homegrown = player hometown state matches school's home state. 2026 conference alignment. Updated July 2026.

Most Homegrown College Football Teams In 2026

Texas-market programs dominate the top of the list. UTSA, TCU, Texas Tech, Baylor, Houston and North Texas all land in the top 14 -- a function of the size of the in-state high school pipeline, not a difference in recruiting philosophy. The national leader, however, comes from the rebuilt Pac-12: San Jose State sits on top of the deepest talent pool in the country and doesn't need to leave it. FIU and Sacramento State tell the same story for Florida and Northern California.

Most National College Football Rosters In 2026

The bottom of the list is a mix of two different stories. Hawaii (0.9%) and Army (1.0%) are the extremes -- an island program that has to recruit off the mainland, and a service academy that recruits nationally by mission. Air Force (tied at 8.5%) fits the same academy pattern. The rest -- Arkansas State, Western Kentucky, Colorado, Delaware and New Mexico State -- are smaller-population states or programs that have leaned into national transfer and recruiting pipelines rather than a thin local base.

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College Football Recruiting By State: Homegrown Percentage By Conference

The most surprising finding is at the league level: Power Four and Group of Five programs are nearly identical on average -- 32.7% for Power Four's 67 teams, 32.3% for Group of Five's 69. Conference brand doesn't predict how local a roster is; recruiting-footprint geography does. The Pac-12 (rebuilt with Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and others) posts the highest conference average at 36.3%, while the Mountain West is the clear outlier on the low end at 24.6%, dragged down by Hawaii, Air Force and Wyoming sharing a league with San Jose State and UTEP at the opposite extreme -- the conference has both the single highest and single lowest team in the country.

How We Calculated Each Team's Homegrown Percentage

Every player on each 2026 FBS roster was pulled from official team athletics websites and matched against their listed hometown. A player counted as "homegrown" when their hometown state matched the school's home state; every other domestic or international hometown counted against the total. Some roster pages list a hometown without a state (e.g. a city inside the school's own state, following that program's own site convention); those were counted as in-state only when no other state could reasonably be inferred from the listing.

The dataset covers all 138 FBS programs under 2026 conference alignment, including the two newcomers to the sport's current conference map, North Dakota State (Mountain West) and Sacramento State (MAC). Figures reflect rosters as published by each program at time of collection and will shift somewhat as rosters are finalized closer to kickoff.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does "homegrown" mean for a college football roster?

A player counts as homegrown when the hometown listed on their team's official roster is in the same state as the school itself. It is a measure of in-state roster composition, not recruiting star ratings or talent level.

Which college football team has the most homegrown roster in 2026?

San Jose State, at 76.7% -- 79 of its 103 listed players are from California, followed by UTSA (75.0%) and TCU (72.6%).

Which team has the most national roster?

Hawaii, at 0.9% -- just 1 of 110 players is from Hawaii itself. Army (1.0%) is the only other team under 2%.

Do Power Four teams recruit more in-state than Group of Five teams?

Not meaningfully. Power Four rosters average 32.7% homegrown and Group of Five rosters average 32.3% -- essentially identical. The bigger driver is which state a program recruits out of, not which tier it plays in.

Data: official team athletics rosters, 2026 season. Homegrown = player hometown state matches school's home state. 2026 conference alignment.