The world of college football recruiting has undergone massive shifts lately with the introduction of NIL, the transfer portal, and conference realignment. Putting a fence around your home state used to be one of the most important things a college coach could do. However, the past few decades have seen college football coaches look nationally for the best recruits.
Brady Hoke saw major recruiting successes in Florida and New Jersey. Don Brown unlocked a connection to New England that Michigan football had not previously seen. Jim Harbaugh’s staff put an emphasis on recruiting the state of Ohio. But how did they do at retaining in-state talent?