Atlanta? Los Angeles? Miami? Dallas?

A longstanding debate in the recruiting world has been which metro area produces the best football players. So now in conjunction with millions of other brackets reaching the round of 16, here's one more to follow.

Our national recruiting analysts picked the top 16 metro areas for high school football talent and seeded them 1-16, with No. 1 being their collective pick as the best. Our analyst group focused solely on the talent churned out so far in the 2020s.

And now we will let the fans take it from here and vote to decide which city they believe is the king of football talent.

Below, our analysts give the case for each metro area/region we've selected. Winning cities after three days advance to the round of eight.

At the bottom of this story, you will find how each of our national recruiting analysts filled out their bracket.

BEST METRO AREA FOR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TALENT? YOU DECIDE: VOTE HERE

1. Tampa/St. Pete

2. Atlanta

3. Dallas/Fort Worth

4. Los Angeles

5. Miami/South Florida

6. South Georgia

7. Detroit

8. New Orleans/South Louisiana

9. Houston

10. DMV

11. Birmingham/Montgomery

12. St. Louis

13. Las Vegas

14. Chicago

15. Charlotte

16. Philadelphia

The Case For Tampa: Don't look now, but the Tampa Bay metro area has become one of America's most fascinating football hotbeds over the years. Sure, the low-hanging fruit is to allocate the boost to IMG Academy's status as the nation's most talented and tracked high school program, but even beyond the Bradenton boarding school, the area continues to churn out five-star recruits, first round NFL Draft picks and college stars in between. When combined, the area could be the nation's most talented spot all together. The numbers tell a gaudy story here.

Not only did the region produce a five-star in every cycle from 2020 to 2025, it was able to produce multiple in each individual class including a staggering seven in the class of 2023. That group featured names like Carnell Tate, Francis Mauigoa and the polarizing Cormani McClain. The blue-chippers in Rivals250 range also ran the numbers up, as more than 70 prospects finished tabbed in the final ranking from within the region.

Pushing it up to the NFL Draft, three Tampa-area stars heard their names called in the first round just last year, including quarterback Michael Penix. Looking ahead to the 2025 NFL Draft, linebacker Jihaad Campbell and secondary prospect Azareyeh Thomas have been pegged as first round locks while Tyler Booker could splash into it as well.

Since 2021, the region has produced at least one first round NFL selection. The next wave also looks to be in a strong position when it comes to Tampa ties, with Saturday players Rocco Becht, Kaytron Allen, Lewis Carter, Jerrick Gibson, Jordan Seaton, Charles Lester and DJ Pickett, among others, looking to continue the trend up.

– John Garcia Jr.

The Case For Philly: Across the state of Pennsylvania, especially in the Harrisburg and Pittsburgh areas, there is a ton of talent and in Philadelphia there have been some special players that make this team a challenge to anyone else across the country.

The trouble is that the talent base is spread out across the state so there just aren’t enough big-time names in one concentrated area to compete against the best of the best nationally. There are some major players though.

Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. from Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph’s Prep teaming up with teammate Kyle McCord, who has impressed in the pre-draft process, is a good starting point on offense. There are some massive and powerful offensive linemen in Kevin Heywood, Peter Jones and others.

On defense, Abdul Carter from Philadelphia (Pa.) LaSalle was a superstar at Penn State and should be an early first-round pick in next month’s NFL Draft.

Linebacker is absolutely loaded especially with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (who had nearly 200 tackles at Clemson before being a fifth-round pick) and his brother, Josiah, who led West Virginia with 92 tackles last season. Philadelphia LaSalle four-star Joey O’Brien continues to emerge as one of the best defensive backs in this class.

– Adam Gorney

BEST METRO AREA FOR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TALENT? YOU DECIDE: VOTE HERE

The Case For Atlanta: The Greater Metro Atlanta Area has No. 1 seed written all over it. The Peach State is rich with talent year in and year out, and in the past half-decade has churned out some of the top recruits and top players in college football each Saturday. It's draft season -- so the conversation starts with former Rivals No. 1 overall player Travis Hunter.

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner is expected to come off the board early -- just like former five-star DE Myles Murphy (Cincinnati Bengals) and five-star OT Broderick Jones (Pittsburgh Steelers) did not too long ago. Brian Branch is another Atlanta area standout making noise on Sundays in Detroit. Like Hunter, former top-100 SAF Malaki Starks is a projected first-rounder. Former five-star LB Barrett Carter is expected to hear their name called later this spring in Green Bay.

Former five-star Caleb Downs is arguably the top safety in college football coming off a title run with the Buckeyes. His brother Josh is an emerging receiver with the Colts. Other five-stars from the ATL we anticipate continuing to make noise in college football this upcoming season include DL Edrick Houston (Ohio State), SAF KJ Bolden (Georgia), WR Mike Matthews (Tennessee), and QB Julian Lewis (Colorado). Other notable recruits from the area include RB Justice Haynes (Michigan) and LT Overton (Alabama).

– Sam Spiegelman

The Case For Charlotte: The Carolinas are generally known for producing elite defensive linemen but the Charlotte area has churned out a well-rounded group of elite prospects over the last few years. In the last six recruiting classes the area has produced 31 four-star prospects and 20 of them finished in the Rivals250.

Quarterback (Drake Maye), running back (Will Shipley), receiver (Kevin Concepcion) and on the offensive line (David Sanders Jr.) - college coaches always have reason to make the rounds near the Queen City for offensive talent. Sanders was a five-star while Maye and Shipley were Rivals250 prospects and Concepcion was a four-star as well. Defensively, the Charlotte area really shines. Class of 2020 five-star Trenton Simpson was a third-round pick for the Ravens in 2023 and he ended up starting 13 games in 2024.

Look for 2022 Rivals250 prospect James Pearce to be an early selection in the upcoming NFL Draft. Judge Collier, who was a three-star in the 2023 class, was a second team All-SEC defensive back for South Carolina last season. The future is bright too, with Rivals250 prospects like Samari Matthews, Rodney Dunham, Aiden Harris and J'zavien Currence.

– Adam Friedman

BEST METRO AREA FOR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TALENT? YOU DECIDE: VOTE HERE

The Case For DFW: Everything is bigger in Texas -- especially the football talent. The Dallas Metroplex, in particular, has yielded a heavy volume of blue-chippers over the years -- several of which are making waves on Saturdays and on Sundays already. Former five-star WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba is one of the best young receivers that the Seattle Seahawks are building their passing game around.

After a historic senior season, Marvin Mims finished inside the Rivals250 -- and provides juice for the Denver Broncos' offense. Former four-star CB Christian Gonzalez is one of the best young corners in New England out of The Colony (Texas). As they set the pace in the league, there's a wave about to follow.

Quinn Ewers (Texas) and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) are both projected early draft picks. Some of college football's best are also from DFW. Former five-star EDGE Colin Simmons was named the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year with Texas. His teammate -- former five-star Anthony Hill Jr. -- is one of the most imposing linebackers in the nation.

Former five-star Peyton Bowen is one of the top safeties in the country heading Brent Venables' defense in Norman. Evan Stewart, another former five-star, has been dynamic at Texas A&M and also Oregon. Heisman Trophy hopeful Garrett Nussmeier is also from the area.

– Sam Spiegelman

The Case For Chicago: Chicago is one of the more interesting cities in the bracket. The early part of the 2020s was a bit slow. But the guys that did well were great. Peter Skoronski is a prime example of that. He was a first-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by Houston. Defensive lineman Rylie Mills had a great career at Notre Dame and will be an NFL Draft pick. Pat Coogan was a multi-year starter at Notre Dame before transferring to Indiana.

More recently the star power in recruiting has increased significantly. Defensive linemen Justin Scott and Marquise Lightfoot were both five-stars in the 2024 recruiting class. Both ended up in Miami. The five-star train on the defensive line continued the next cycle with Nathaniel Marshall who signed with Michigan.

Four-star defensive lineman Chris Burgess went to Notre Dame while four-star wide receiver Talyn Taylor is at Georgia. The future classes are loaded with potential, too. 2026 quarterback Jonas Williams continues to push himself into five-star discussion. Defensive end Braeden Jones could make an early impact at USC. QB Trae Taylor and tight end Brock Williams are already on the verge of early five-star status.

– Greg Smith

BEST METRO AREA FOR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TALENT? YOU DECIDE: VOTE HERE

The Case For LA: The Los Angeles team has its pick of elite quarterbacks, maybe better than any region by far. Bryce Young or CJ Stroud could be the starting quarterback and they’re both NFL starters - and possible future stars. If you want a college quarterback or an elite high school quarterback who could be the next big thing the options would be Nico Iamaleava, Julian Sayin, Ryder Lyons, Brady Smigiel or Brady Edmunds. That’s an embarrassment of riches right there.

And skill position players would be no issue at all. At running back it’s not incredibly loaded and there have been some busts in Kendall Milton and Raleek Brown but both are super talented players. Cal’s very productive Jaydn Ott, Georgia up-and-coming star Nate Frazier and Oregon freshman Jordon Davison, who was outstanding at powerhouse Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei are options.

Receiver is stacked led by expected first-rounder Tetairoa McMillan, five-star Chris Henry Jr., Georgia commit Vance Spafford, Troy Franklin (who had nearly 2,500 receiving yards in three seasons at Oregon) and others. Tight end Mark Bowman, a Brock Bowers-type player, is an intriguing option as well.

Line play is never going to be rock solid but the defensive line would be great as Mason Graham would dominate the middle and then Matayo Uiagalelei (who had 9.5 sacks last season at Oregon) and five-star Richard Wesley would be coming off the edge.

An all-Polynesian, hard-hitting linebacker corps of Junior Tuihalamaka, Jacob Manu, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Madden Faraimo and Talanoa Ili is a loaded group. It’s still hard to fathom that five-star Justin Flowe was not phenomenal.

As always, defensive back is going to be loaded coming out of Los Angeles. Alabama’s starting cornerbacks of Domani Jackson and Zabien Brown could lead the way with third-round pick Calen Bullock, future Alabama stars Dijon Lee Jr. and Chuck McDonald along with potential superstars Brandon Arrington, Havon Finney, Jr., Brandon Lockhart, Duvay Williams, Davon Benjamin and Aaryn Washington also available. That’s an unbelievably talented group to stop the pass.

– Adam Gorney

The Case For Vegas: There is no shortage of pass catchers on the Las Vegas team so while quarterback and running back are not loaded, there is an abundance of playmakers on the outside and a trio of elite Bishop Gorman offensive lineman in Douglas Utu, Alai Kalaniuvalu and SJ Alofaituli to protect up front.

First-round NFL Draft pick Rome Odunze leads the way at wide receiver but five-star Zachariah Branch and Alabama WR Germie Bernard are electric and then Alabama signee Derek Meadows along with 2027 standout Damani Warren are excellent. Tight end is loaded with physical freak show Darnell Washington, Moliki Matavao (who led UCLA in receiving last season) and 2027 four-star Zac Fares.

The defensive front seven will be a little weak admittedly although Prince Williams was excellent at the Rivals Camp Series in Los Angeles and four-star linebacker Christian Thatcher was super productive at Las Vegas Arbor View but the secondary is loaded.

Long, rangy and athletic are the keywords as Zion Branch, Jett Washington, Hayden Stepp and Gavin Day all lead the way.

– Adam Gorney

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The Case For South Florida: When it comes to the perception, the numbers and certainly the names, South Florida continues to hold onto its reputation as one of America's truly fertile football hotbeds. Narrowing the production window to the first half of this decade proves more of the same, whether leaning on the names stationed on Saturday's like Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith or those about to enter at the highest level like fellow former five-star and one-time prep teammate of Smith in first round projection Shemar Stewart.

Dipping into the Rivals rankings, five-stars flood in from the region, including an even one dozen since the class of 2020 wrapped up. The blue-chip depth thereafter remains just as staggering, with 79 additional recruits ranked within the Rivals250 hailing from Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties combined. The volume is just as impressive relative to the NFL Draft, too, as more than 50 South Floridians have been drafted since the decade began, including nine in Round 1.

Some of the names near the top of the list have made sense all the way through the process like Smith's certainly will. Dallas Turner was a five-star who worked his way into the first round and he put together a great rookie campaign in the league thereafter. Fellow five-stars from that 2021 cycle included James Williams, Terrence Lewis and Corey Collier, however. Of the trio only Williams, drafted in the seventh round in 2024, heard his name called on the big stage.

So for every Patrick Surtain II, fresh off of a Defensive Player of the Year campaign with the Denver Broncos, there are also some big-name busts relative to ranking dotting the line in SoFlo.

– John Garcia Jr.

The Case For St. Louis: St. Louis has become known for putting a lot of high school football players into Power Four programs. Teams from all over the country recruit the area hard making it one of the most competitive recruiting grounds in the country. Going back to the 2020 class five-star wide receiver Jordan Johnson signed with Notre Dame. He ended up transferring to UCF.

The 2021 class produced high four-star defensive back Jakalin Johnson who went to Ohio State. Johnson then went to LSU and injuries have really derailed a promising career. But the 2022 class saw St. Louis hit big with wide receiver Luther Burden. He was a superstar coming out of East St. Louis and at Missouri and will now be one of the first receivers selected in the upcoming NFL Draft. Running back Jeremiyah Love had a great career at Notre Dame as well. Ryan Wingo was an immediate impact player for the Longhorns and has future NFL player written all over him.

Keep an eye out for Missouri defensive back Charles Bass and USC wide receiver Corey Simms from the 2025 class. Four-star 2026 defensive end Titan Davis and 2027 linebacker Marshaun Ivy are just two players in the city that have a lot of attention in their recruitments.

– Greg Smith

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The Case For South Georgia: Some of the NFL's best young talent has roots in South Georgia. That includes former five-star DE Will Anderson Jr., who was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023. Other five-stars from the area include OT Amarius Mims, who after helping Georgia capture a pair of national championships was a first-round selection by the Cincinnati Bengals. Mykel Williams, a top-10 player in the Rivals250 in 2022, is also expected to be projected first-round pick in Green Bay.

We are also expecting the next wave of South Georgia talent to show up before long in Athens. In the 2025 cycle, the region produced a trio of five-star recruits headlined by No. 1 DT Elijah Griffin, who finished as the top non-quarterback recruit in last year's recruiting class. Another signee along the defensive line was EDGE Isaiah Gibson, who closed his high school run at Warner Robins (Ga.) as a top-10 player in the country. Similarly, five-star TE Elyiss Williams was unguardable as a senior -- finishing as Rivals' No. 1 TE and potentially the next great one to come through Georgia.

– Sam Spiegelman

The Case For Birmingham/Montgomery: The I-65 corridor between Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama has continued to produce a plethora of top football recruits that not only lived up to blue-chip type hype on Saturdays, but often parlayed it over to Sundays as well. Double-digit players from the region came off the board in the last two NFL Drafts alone, including quarterback Bo Nix at No. 12 overall ahead of a banner rookie season in 2024.

Future drafts will have plenty of flavor from the recent talent the region has produced, too, from Clemson defensive lineman Peter Woods to Alabama secondary stalwart Malachi Moore. The younger wave of recruits has maintained consistency atop the Rivals rankings, too. In fact, the metro area has produced a five-star in six straight classes, headlined by holding the nation's No. 1 wide receiver recruit in the current class of 2026 in Cederian Morgan. The group headed to play college football for the first time this fall included a pair of five-stars in Auburn pass rusher Jared Smith and Oregon defensive back Naeem Offord. Four more recruits from the region held five-star status on Rivals over the previous five cycles.

Depth is also a part of the equation. From the class of 2020 to 2026, there have been 46 prospects from the region tabbed as members of the Rivals250. In NFL Drafts since 2020, there have been two dozen Alabama natives picked from the region, including household names beyond Nix like Nico Collins and George Pickens while also including prospects off to strong starts in the league like Kamari Lassiter, Cam Taylor-Britt, Brian Robinson and even kicker Will Reichard.

– John Garcia Jr.

BEST METRO AREA FOR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TALENT? YOU DECIDE: VOTE HERE

The Case For Detroit: The Motor City has been a steady producer of talent over the years. In the early 2020s running back Donovan Edwards, offensive lineman Rocco Spindler, defensive backs Kobe King and Jaylen Reed came from the city. Each had or is having solid college careers at their respective schools. Edwards helped Michigan to a national championship and landed on the cover of the college football video game. Defensive back Will Johnson gave the city a five-star in the 2022 cycle. He was great throughout his time at Michigan and could be a first round draft pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Quarterback Dante Moore gave Detroit another five-star in the 2023 cycle. His time should be now to take over control of the Oregon offense. Quarterback CJ Carr could be the next starting quarterback at Notre Dame. Wide receiver Nick Marsh was outstanding during his freshman season at Michigan State.

The Michigan signees of five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, four-star defensive back Elijah Dotson and four-star offensive lineman Avery Gach are poised to make noise in Ann Arbor. The future is also bright still for 2026 prospect CJ Sadler and Lincoln Watkins plus 2027's Recarder Kitchen and Dakota Guerrant. Kitchen and Guerrant could push for five-star status.

– Greg Smith

The Case For DMV: For locals, Washington DC, Baltimore, and Woodbridge, Virginia are very different places but the DMV region as a whole is one of the most talent rich areas of the country. The DMV has accounted for 57 Rivals250 prospects in the last six recruiting classes and a total of 91 four-stars.

Current NFL standouts like Bryan Bresee (No. 1 overall prospect in the 2020 class), Chris Braswell (2020 No. 24 overall), Blake Corum (2020 No. 105 overall), Olu Fashanu (2020 four-star), Caleb Williams (2021 No. 6 overall) and Demeioun "Chop" Robinson (2021 No. 177 overall) could have dominated the competition anywhere in the country. Many of the most notable college football stars also call the DMV home. Nyckoles Harbor (2023 No. 29 overall) and Dylan Stewart (2024 No. 24 overall) were in a league of their own while playing in Washington D.C. Linebacker Tony Rojas (2023 No. 96 overall) and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton (2022 No. 7 overall) are going to make waves for Penn State this season.

The last two recruiting classes from the DMV featured 16 Rivals250 prospects and 32 players rated at least four-star prospects and there are plenty more talented prospects on the way. Elite offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho, a five-star in the 2026 class out of Maryland, is one of the most physically gifted prospects we have seen in the last few years. Five-star Jireh Edwards is a dominant safety prospect. Defensive end Zion Elee, a top-30 prospect in the 2026 class, is a dangerous pass rusher off the edge.

- Adam Friedman

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The Case For South Louisiana: No state churns out more NFL talent per capita than Louisiana -- and South Louisiana produces a massive amount of talent that is taking over the league and also college football.

Both former first-round picks Brian Thomas Jr. and Malik Nabers exploded onto the scene in Year 1 as rookies. Thomas, out of Walker, La., was a Rivals250 WR who since surfaced as one of the NFL's best young perimeter receivers in Jacksonville. Nabers, who was sidelined as a senior due to state transfer rules, set multiple records while at LSU before breaking the mark for receptions by a rookie last season with the New York Giants. Former No. 2 overall player Maason Smith in 2021 was a second-round pick of the Jags and is quickly becoming one of the NFL's most formidable young DL.

There is expected to be another wave of South Louisiana talent to come off the board during the NFL Draft. Among them -- former Rivals250 OL Emery Jones (LSU) and former four-star WR Jack Bech (TCU). Some of college football's best are from The Boot. That includes former No. 1 overall recruit Arch Manning, who will orchestrate the Texas offense full-time this season. His teammate -- Derek Williams -- is one of the best young SAF expected to step into a bigger role this fall in Austin.

Former Rivals five-star WR Aaron Anderson came on strong in his second season at LSU and should be a part of a high-octane offense in Baton Rouge this fall. So should Chris Hilton, a top-100 recruit in 2021. Former five-star DL Dominick McKinley closed his freshman season out with a bang -- and is part of what should be a formidable front in the Bayou this upcoming season.

Former five-star Harlem Berry is expected to be an impact freshman this season with the Tigers. Former five-star DE Jahkeem Stewart is also a candidate to be an immediate contributor at USC.

– Sam Spiegelman

The Case For Houston: If there's one part of Texas that is trending up in college football, it's the Greater Houston Area. In recent recruiting cycles, Houston as been the source for some of the best players in college football -- and we believe that H-Town is about to produce even more household names.

Recent NFL players to come from the area include former five-star DB Jaylon Jones (Texas A&M), five-star RB Zach Evans (Ole Miss), and four-star RB De'Von Achane (Texas A&M). We anticipate hearing former five-star OL Donovan Jackson join them in the league later this spring as a projected first-rounder out of Ohio State.

After winning a ton of big games leading the Crimson Tide, QB Jalen Milroe is also expected to hear his name get called later this spring. Former five-star QB DJ Lagway hails from just outside Houston in Willis -- and has the Gators trending in the right direction after a sensational end to his freshman season. DJ Hicks is another former five-star that has continued to ascend as one of the top DL in college football with the Aggies.

– Sam Spiegelman

BEST METRO AREA FOR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TALENT? YOU DECIDE: VOTE HERE