I wasn't sure where to put this but I found this interesting and a bit shocking. Looking at a chart on where the best recruits are.
4* and 5* recruits in the past 5 years:
-47 combined in Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Wyoming, and Colorado
-173 in Georgia
-73 in Loisiana
-70 in Ohio
-39 in Michigan
-21 in Oklahoma
-59 in Alabama
Even if we got EVERY single top recruit, in the EIGHT states closest to us, for FIVE YEARS in a row, we would still have less talent (per recruiting rankings) than if Alabama, Ohio State, or LSU just got every top player in their state. We would still have less talent than if Georgia just got 1/3 of their instate recruits and no out of state recruits. Even Michigan can get almost as much talent just in their home state as we can in our 8 closest. USC could never leave L.A. and get as much talent as we can in our entire region.
In that region their are 7 schools competing for those recruits (Us, Iowa, Iowa State, Colorado, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri). In Alabama its just 2 (Bama , Auburn).
In Ohio just 1 (OSU)
In Louisiana just 1 (LSU)
in Georgia just 2 (Georgia , GTech)
In Michigan just 2 (Michigan, Mich State)
We are probably in the hardest region to recruit in the entire country. Less talent per P5 team than anywhere else. Also Wisconsin and Minnesota are hard places to recruit.