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[QUOTE="NJCuse97, post: 4694192, member: 5058"]
I think you hit on a residual importance of putting kids in the league. In the pro-driven NE, the youth learn all about their pro heroes, especially in the absence of a strong college sports experience. The bond formed with the pros living in their area are stronger than the local kids who went away for school. The youth becomes enamored with where their pro heroes went. This is why we struggle to land local “city” kids who have eyes for ND, SEC, and B1G schools. Look simply at how many Wiskey RBs were from NJ. Ron Dayne was a Giant. PSU couldn’t be happier with where Saquon landed.

I grew up knowing SU because as a Giants fan, I knew where Joe Morris went. Heck, I knew where Dave Bavaro went. I also knew where Mark Bavaro and Phil Simms and LT went. My brother became an ND fan as a result. Everyone loved Mark Bavaro. Schiano went to my HS. So did Chris Simms. Greg Olsen was another area great in HS. Schiano went to Bucknell and Sims didn’t go to Rutgers, or his dad’s alma mater, Morehead St. We as SU fans would cry about not landing the legacy recruit, but having seen it through the lens in the other direction, there was no reason for him to have considered it. It was always Texas or Tenn. but Cutcliff went to Ole Miss to ironically coach Eli. Despite Schiano being at Rutgers since 2001, in 2003 Olsen went to ND like Bavaro, and then transferred to Miami, after all, their TE Jeremy Shockey had just been drafted by the Giants.

I’m not saying that’s all that goes into the decision, but it does resonate.
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