About 15 years ago, I started tracking which states the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were filling out their roster with the most. There were huge sweeping generalizations about where the top talent in the country hails from, and even though those generalizations are mostly true, I still felt that the entire subject required a little more nuance — especially given the unique nature of Notre Dame’s recruiting effort.
The Irish HAVE to recruit nationally to compete for playoffs and championships. There’s just not enough talent available within the 200 mile radius of South Bend to sustain a high-caliber roster.