When the Los Angeles Rams compete against the Cincinnati Bengals on February 13 in Super Bowl LVI (Super Bowl 56), both teams will have players on the field who are products of Texas high school football programs.

In all, 13 Bengals’ players and coaches and 9 Rams’ players appearing in the biggest game of the season graduated from high schools in Texas.

Some of the biggest names on the Bengals’ roster include: Defensive Back Tre Flowers (graduate of Judson High School), Running Back Samaje Perine (graduate of Pflugerville Henderson), and Offensive Linesman Tre Hopkins (graduate of North Shore High School).

Other Texas high school players on the Bengals’ roster include: Running Back Trayveon Williams (C.E. King), Guard Hakeem Adeniji (Garland), Defensive End Joseph Ossai (Conroe Oak Ridge), Linebacker Clay Johnson (Abilene Wylie), Defensive Tackle Damion Square (Houston Yates), and Receiver Michael Thomas (Aldine Nimitz).

The Bengals also employ four coaches that graduated from high school football programs in Texas. The coaches are Tight Ends Coach James Casey (Azle), Defensive Backs coach Steve Jackson (Klein Forest), Wide Receivers Coach Troy Walters (A&M Consolidated), and Running Backs Coach Justin Hill (Lake Dallas).

The biggest names on the Rams are undoubtedly Quarterback Matthew Stafford, who attended Highland Park, and Linebacker Von Miller, who completed high school at DeSoto. The other Rams’ players are Defensive Tackle Bobby Brown III (Arlington Lamar), Offensive Tackle Bobby Evans (Allen), Linebacker Justin Hollins (Arlington Martin), Linebacker Travin Howard (Longview), Offensive Tackle Joe Noteboom (Plano), Linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (Alief Taylor), and Defensive Lineman A’Shawn Robinson (Fort Worth Arlington Heights).

Several Texas high school alumni have been critical in the two teams’ ascension to the Super Bowl. Among the biggest moments: the Rams’ Howard has one interception in his three-year career; however; that one interception ended the 49ers’ efforts to win the Championship game.

Other players are peculiarly involved within the perplexity of NFL COVID-related rules.

The Bengals’ Damian Square will be the first player in NFL history to play for two different teams in the postseason. Square, who was elevated from the Raider practice squad for the Wild Card loss to the Bengals, was claimed a week later when his Raiders’ contract ended.

The Bengals signed Square to their practice squad and elevated him to the regular roster for the Championship game. The team has not announced whether Square will be active for the Super Bowl. The move from Raiders to Bengals was possible because of relaxed rules that allow teams to elevate two players from the practice squad per game. The player will automatically return to the practice squad after the game.

The Rams’ Matthew Stafford is the last of 6 quarterbacks from Texas high schools that started in the NFL playoffs. Ryan Tannehill, Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Derek Carr, and Kyler Murray also went to high school in Texas.

Texas is one of the national leaders in producing top-tier NFL prospects from the high school level. The state is second only to Florida for the number of NFL players on teams this season. Florida accounted for 192 players, while Texas claimed 189 graduates on the rosters. Houston had the second-most players of any city with 18.