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So much has been made of the fact that three of the final four teams left in the College Football Playoff are from the northern part of the country.
But with these top programs recruiting across the country, Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney takes a look at the top players on each of the four teams to see if players from the North are actually making the biggest impact in college football or if it only appears that way.
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NOTRE DAME
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When it comes to the stars on Notre Dame’s offense, it’s truly a mishmash of players from everywhere, some transfers and many top high school recruits.
Quarterback Riley Leonard, from Fairhope (Ala.) Fairhope School, starred at Duke before coming to Notre Dame. Running backs Jeremiyah Love is from Missouri and backup Jadarian Price is from Texas.
It is a national scope for the Irish receivers led by Clemson transfer Beaux Collins, who was a four-star out of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco. Tight end Mitchell Evans is from Ohio, Jaden Greathouse from Texas as well and then Jordan Faison was a former two-star walk-on from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Pine Crest.
On defense, there is a significant Midwest flavor. There are two major in-state linebackers in Jack Kiser from Royal Center (Ind.) Pioneer and Drayk Bowen played at Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean. Star safety Xavier Watts is from Nebraska. Defensive lineman Rylie Mills is from Lake Forest, Ill. There is a Southern touch as well with Jaiden Ausberry and Jaylen Sneed from Louisiana and South Carolina, respectively.
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OHIO STATE
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If there’s a team in the College Football Playoff that has legitimately gone from coast-to-coast, from Southeast to Pacific Northwest, it’s Ohio State, the favorite to win the whole thing.
Quarterback Will Howard, a transfer from Kansas State, is from Pennsylvania. Star running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins – who have nearly identical statistics heading into the semifinals – are from Virginia and Alabama, respectively, with Judkins being a transfer from Ole Miss.
All three standout receivers were five-star prospects, all from different areas. Emeka Egbuka is from Steilacoom, Wash., Jeremiah Smith is out of Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna and Carnell Tate is from Illinois but played at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy.
The same can be said about the Buckeyes’ defense. Linebacker Cody Simon is from New Jersey, Caleb Downs (an Alabama transfer) is from Georgia and then there is a significant West flavor on Ohio State’s defense with Lathan Ransom and Denzel Burke from Arizona and JT Tuimoloau is from Washington. The Buckeyes also stayed home for two stars – both five-stars – in linebacker Sonny Styles from Pickerington (Ohio) Pickerington Central and defensive end Jack Sawyer from the same hometown but he went to Pickerington North.
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PENN STATE
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There are some exceptions but Penn State has largely used its traditional recruiting footprint to build this roster that has soundly defeated SMU and Boise State ahead of its Thursday showdown with Notre Dame to go to the national championship.
And all the stars are developed through the program, not brought in from the transfer portal.
Star quarterback Drew Allar is from Ohio (and once considered the Irish in his recruitment). Running backs Kaytron Allen is out of Virginia and Nicholas Singleton is an in-state recruit from Shillington (Pa.) Governor Mifflin.
Tyler Warren, arguably the best tight end nationally, is a former three-star from Mechanicsville (Va.) Atlee who flipped from Virginia Tech to Penn State in the summer before his senior season. One wonders where the Nittany Lions would be without him. Receivers Harrison Wallace is from Alabama and Omari Evans is from Texas.
On defense, Penn State has had success in Michigan before and went back there for defensive back Jaylen Reed and linebacker Kobe King. Zakee Wheatley is a Maryland prospect, a regular recruiting territory for the Nittany Lions, along with Dani Dennis-Sutton, a former five-star prospect. Up-and-coming star LB Tony Rojas is from Fairfax, Va.
Penn State’s star defensive player Abdul Carter, who’s rehabbing and hoping to play Thursday, is another in-state win for coach James Franklin and his staff as the former four-star linebacker played at Philadelphia (Pa.) La Salle.
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TEXAS
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When former coach Mack Brown had Texas really rolling as a national power in the early 2000s, there was always an interesting recruiting move he would take that would help load up his class without a ton of work.
Texas would hold an early junior day in the offseason, invite basically all the elite players from the state and surrounding areas to Austin and by the end of the day the Longhorns would have a large majority of their class locked in.
Coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff have not taken exactly the same approach but there is a heavily significant in-state feel to the elite players on the roster.
On offense, quarterback Quinn Ewers, top two running backs Quintrevion Wisner and Jaydon Blue and Houston transfer receiver Matthew Golden are all from Texas. Among other pass catchers, tight end Gunnar Helm, who has maybe helped his NFL Draft positioning more than any other Texas player, is from Colorado and then Isaiah Bond is an Alabama transfer from Georgia with Deandre Moore from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco.
On defense, the in-state feel is even more striking. Star five-star linebacker Anthony Hill along with Michael Taaffee, David Gbenda, Andrew Mukuba, Jahdae Barron, Colin Simmons and Vernon Broughton – basically everyone – are in-state players.
If recruiting truly starts at home and then expands out, the Longhorns essentially skipped the second part with so many elite players close to home.
