I think probably the “lock down your state” philosophy of years past of many SEC schools is becoming more the exception than the rule.
In the last 10-15 years the SEC in football has become a national brand. Could UGA, UF, or TAMU be competitive nationally by locking down their respective states? Probably. But as CNS expanded beyond the “250 mile radius” to the “best player available and fits for us wherever they maybe” philosophy in the last 6-7 years,
almost every SEC program has been forced to more of a national recruiting approach.
Look at this state for example. In years past, Alabama and the Barn dominated a good recruiting base in this state. However, of the 39 players signed between the two schools in the early signing period, only 9 were from the state of Alabama. Yet, LSU, Florida, Clemson, UGA signed good players from this state. (Caveat: we know Auburn is technically West Georgia so we can take the “in state thing” with a grain of salt 😉

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As the top tier SEC programs continually expand to more national recruiting, the rest of the league will look to expand beyond their own borders.
Main point: CNS with five National Championships in nine years has made all the SEC programs “run faster” in terms of national recruiting.
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