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One of the main reasons we launched Maryland Sports Access is to fill a void in a region that’s rich in high school sports. We, and just about every Maryland resident who craves their local prep sports, can now justify our schools provide some of the top athletic play in the country.
With some new software, the NCAA research department decided to produce some social media content, charting the percentage of athletes from each state recruited to play for a Division I college with data from 2013-16. Of the 11 studied sports, Maryland ranked first four times and in the top five eight times.
Let’s breakdown the results, starting with football:
NCAA Research on Twitter
States w/ highest % of HS football players recruited by a DI school: 1. Florida 2. Georgia 3. Louisiana 4-8. (DC), MD, TN, SC, NC
Florida shouldn’t be a surprise at No. 1 with a 9.9 percent clip. The Sunshine State takes ownage of the most dominant gridiron program in recent years, IMG Academy, and has a trio of rich in-state college programs (Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles and the Miami Hurricanes) to motivate the up-and-comers.
Maryland checks in at No. 5 with a 6.5 percent mark, above nationally hyped hotbeds Alabama (5 percent), California (3.5 percent) and Texas (2.7 percent). With nationally ranked regulars like DeMatha and Good Counsel out of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, and other stout programs like Bullis, Gilman, McDonogh, Mount St. Joseph and St. Frances Academy, it shouldn’t be a surprise. Consistently dominant public school programs with healthy feeder systems like Fort Hill, Damascus, Linganore, Northwest, Quince Orchard and Wise is a large reason for Maryland’s top five positioning as well.
It’s also worth noting D.C. sits at No. 4 at 7.2 percent. WCAC stalwarts like Gonzaga College and St. John’s College can take majority ownership of that statistic.
[RELATED: NFL players born in Md.]
NCAA Research on Twitter
States w/ highest % of HS boys basketball players recruited by a DI school: 1. Maryland 2. North Carolina 3. Georgia 4. Nevada 5. Virginia
NCAA Research on Twitter
States w/ highest % of HS girls basketball players recruited by a DI school: 1. Maryland 2. Tennessee 3. Georgia 4. North Carolina
On the hardwood, regardless of gender, Maryland is no match. Five percent of boys hoopers go Division I, a full percent and a half higher than second-place North Carolina. On the girls side of things, four and a half percent play at the highest level. With traditionally rich pockets like Baltimore and Prince George’s County, nurturers of some of the nation’s top ballers, this is once again no surprise.
Recent NBA Champion and Finals MVP, Kevin Durant (Montrose Christian), and 2017 No. 1 draft pick, Markelle Fultz (DeMatha), are from PG County. NBA perennials Carmelo Anthony (Towson Catholic) and Rudy Gay (Severn), were raised in Baltimore.
With elite programs like Bullis, DeMatha, Goretti, John Carroll, McDonogh, Mount St. Joseph, Patterson, Perry Hall Rock Creek Christian Academy, St. Frances Academy, Maryland should stay on top for a while.
NCAA Research on Twitter
States w/ highest % of girls HS track & field athletes recruited by a DI school primarily in the east + mountain west. Top=MD, UT #NCAATF
NCAA Research on Twitter
States w/ highest % of boys HS track & field athletes recruited by a DI school: 1 Rhode Island 2 Maryland 3 Louisiana 4 Connecticut #NCAATF
If you had to pick one statistic on this page to determine which state produces the best pure athletes, it’s this one. And of course, Maryland’s girls athletes sit first at 6.7 percent and the boys claim second at 4.5 percent.
It’s also worth noting Marylanders Matthew Centrowitz and Christina Epps both competed in last summer’s Rio Olympic track and field games, with Epps taking home two gold medals.
NCAA Research on Twitter
States w/ highest % of HS boys soccer players recruited by a DI school: 1. Maryland 2. Florida 3. Virginia 4. Connecticut 5. North Carolina
NCAA Research on Twitter
States w/ highest % of HS girls soccer players recruited by a Division I school: 1. Utah 2. Virginia 3. Nevada 4. Maryland 5. Hawaii
Well, would you look at that — another Maryland first. Nearly four percent of male footballers (3.7) go D-I. For lady footballers, 4.3 percent go D-1, which ranks fourth.
NCAA Research on Twitter
States ranked by % HS boys wrestlers recruited by a DI school: 1. Pennsylvania 2. Virginia 3. New Jersey 4. Ohio 5. Maryland 6. New York
For wrestling, Maryland checks in at No. 5 with 2.5 percent of its athletes going D-1. It’s worth noting that Kyle Snyder, a Good Counsel alum, won a gold medal at last year’s Rio Olympics. Rockville native and female wrestler Helen Maroulis also won a gold medal at last summer’s olympics as well.
NCAA Research on Twitter
California has the most DI baseball recruits. But most as a % of total HS participants in the state? 1. Florida 2. Georgia 3. Virginia
NCAA Research on Twitter
States w/ highest % of their HS softball players recruited by a DI school: 1. California 2. Georgia 3-6. DE, FL, NC, VA #NCAASoftball #WCWS
Here’s how Maryland fares on the diamond: 4.9 percent of Maryland baseball players go D-1, which ranks tied for seventh, and 2.3 percent of Maryland softball players go D-1, which ties for 13th.
NCAA Research on Twitter
California + Texas have the most DI girls volleyball recruits. But most as a % of total HS participants in the state? Hawaii, Utah #NCAAVB
For girls volleyball players, 2.3 percent go D-1, which ranks 14th.
The NCAA research department did forget one sport, though: Lacrosse. But Marylanders already know who would be first in that department.
