Which states have produced the most players on the 2026 Virginia football roster?

There are a few different ways to build the ideal college football roster. Some would argue that an abundance of in-state talent is the key, while there is also a case for finding hidden gems across the country. Perhaps the answer is somewhere in the middle.

Keeping coveted in-state recruits home is a priority for any coaching staff. At the same time, swiping top talents from other states can be highly beneficial. Even when those talents are from the transfer portal, they could have an option to commit closer to home instead of further away. The 2026 Virginia football roster has a bit of homegrown talent and distant additions — here is the breakdown of which states are featured the most.

Virginia: 33

The Commonwealth has produced the biggest cohort of Cavaliers, including Kam Robinson, Peyton Lewis, Brandyn Hillman, Ethan Minter and many depth pieces. It is a notable class, especially given that Virginia competes with Virginia Tech for top in-state options. While some states such as Wisconsin or Arkansas only feature one Power Four team, the Cavaliers often have to stave off their hated rival. It is hard to dominate the recruiting trail when there are other viable options for high school stars to be close to home. Still, Virginia has a healthy serving of homegrown stars.

Georgia: 15

Jekail Middlebrook, Josiah Abdullah, Alex Payne, and others hail from the Peach State. It is a recruiting hotbed that several Power Four programs tap into — including the in-state Georgia Tech and Georgia. There are plenty of riches to go around, though. It is a state brimming with high school talent all over. On3 placed Georgia as the third-best recruiting state in 2025.

Florida: 11

On3 ranked the Sunshine State as the second-best state for recruits. Virginia has certainly dipped into that pool, producing Will Bettridge, Jason Hammond, Christian Ellis and Maddox Marcellus as notable contributors. Florida, like Georgia, carries an overwhelming bounty of recruiting treasures — but capturing them is especially notable given that ACC rivals Florida State and Miami are lurking nearby.

North Carolina: 9

Dakota Twitty, Donavon Platt, Jacobie Henderson, Jaylen Jones, and Jacquan Gibson headline the recruits from the state immediately south of Virginia. It is an important recruiting battleground — On3 has it tied for sixth — especially given that it is so close to Charlottesville. The Cavaliers do have to compete with four ACC foes from a place quite literally nicknamed the Tar Heel State. Beating North Carolina, Duke, NC State and Wake Forest for those recruits is no easy feat.

California: 6

The Cavaliers have picked up a few contributors from Coach Tony Elliott’s home state. This year, that list includes Rico Flores Jr., Drake Metcalf and Ezekiel Larry. California has always been a hotbed for college stars, as On3 currently grades it as the fourth-best in the nation. It is quite far away from Grounds, though. It also features ACC opponents California and Stanford.

Ohio: 5

This year, Da’Shawn Martin and Darrion Henry-Young lead the Cavaliers from the Buckeye State — which On3 ranked the fifth-best for recruiting. It is always difficult to steal talent from Ohio, given that it hosts the usually dominant Ohio State and is squarely in Big Ten country. However, Virginia did manage to lure a few to Charlottesville.

The trends

This season, Elliott and company have preserved a crucial presence within the Commonwealth, while dipping into lush talent pools in the South. Virginia even managed to snag some major contributors from the opposite coast.

However, the Cavaliers do not have a single player from the state of Texas, which On3 ranked as the nation’s best recruiting state. Virginia also has four or fewer players from top-10 states Louisiana, Alabama, Maryland, South Carolina, Tennessee and Indiana. Overall, though, maintaining in-state talent could prove to be more pivotal.

Add us as a preferred source on Google