In recruiting, location may play as big a role as name recognition and past success.One of the reasons LSU was able to claim four straight Scout.com top-10 recruiting classes is the location of the program — the high school recruiting gold mine of Louisiana.LSU has signed 10 of the 11 Scout.com five-star players in Louisiana in the past six seasons.Some of the best Tigers have been recruited in the Pelican State, including former running back Jacob Hester, wide receiver Early Doucet, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and safeties LaRon Landry and Craig Steltz.Sixty percent of players on the 2009 roster came from Louisiana high schools.Location is key in recruiting, and universities that reside in states with the best recruits have translated into on-field success.The past six national champions have come from California, Texas, Florida and Louisiana, four states with the best high school prospects, according to local recruiting experts.The high school talent in those states have yielded Bowl Championship Series title trophies — Florida and LSU have won it twice, and USC and Texas have claimed the title once, all since 2004. Rene Nadeau, college football analyst for ESPN and TigerVision, said California, Texas, Florida and Louisiana have the best high school talent in the nation, but Louisiana is the least known out of the four.”We compare with anybody in the country,” Nadeau said. “We may not turn out as many athletes as California, Florida and Texas, but per capita, I’d say Louisiana is as good as anybody else in the country.”LSU also has the surrounding Southern states to recruit high school players. LSU coach Les Miles has attracted talent from Houston and the Gulf Coast to sign with the Tigers.Three of the five Scout.com five-star players in the 2009 recruiting class came from Louisiana high schools, but quarterback Russell Shepard and his cousin, safety Craig Loston, are from Houston.Nadeau said LSU’s name recognition and history plays into the decisions of in-state prospects.”LSU has such a great name and will attract kids,” Nadeau said. “Les Miles, and before [Alabama coach] Nick Saban, both won national championships.”LSU is the only major college football program in Louisiana, a recruiting advantage Florida, USC and Texas do not have. Florida fights Florida State and Miami, USC battles UCLA and California, and Texas duels Texas A&M and Texas Tech for in-state recruits.When Miles coached Oklahoma State from 2001-2004, he often lost recruits to Oklahoma. Miles now guides Louisiana’s flagship university.”[Miles’] recruiting base expanded once he got to LSU,” said Sonny Shipp, Louisiana recruiting expert for Scout.com. LSU’s biggest recruiting rival recently has been Alabama, only two states away.The Tigers and Crimson Tide battled for several high profile 2009 recruits, including wide receivers Rueben Randle and Kenny Bell, defensive end Sam Montgomery and running back Trent Richardson.Randle and Montgomery signed with LSU, while Bell and Richardson chose Alabama.Nadeau said the South has a history of developing fast college players and will continue to do so in the future. “If you want speed and athleticism, the southeastern portion of the United States is the way to go,” Nadeau said.—-Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]