USA TODAY Sports is ranking the top 10 college athletes from each state for the 250th anniversary, highlighting Kentucky, Maryland, Louisiana, Kansas, and Maine as examples of diverse, storied programs across basketball, football, hockey, and more. The selections showcase Kentucky’s basketball culture, Maryland’s lacrosse- and football-rich history including Roger Staubach and Len Bias, Louisiana’s LSU legends like Joe Burrow and Pete Maravich, Kansas’ basketball heft led by Wilt Chamberlain and Gale Sayers, and Maine’s celebrated hockey and endurance athletes such as Paul Kariya and Joan Benoit.
