LSU football coach Les Miles has benefited from coaching in a state with some of the best high school football prospects in the nation — the recruiting gold mine of Louisiana.But the Pelican State has fewer premier prospects this year than usual, and Miles has dug into the depths of nine other states to complete a top 2010 class.”Ever since LSU won two national titles, they are recruiting nationally,” said Sonny Shipp, Louisiana recruiting analyst for Scout.com. “You are going to see more out-of-state recruiting with it.”The nine states are the most during Miles’ five-year tenure in Baton Rouge. Recruits have committed to LSU from places as far as California, Ohio and Kansas.”The national exposure LSU is getting helps,” said Rene Nadeau, college football analyst for ESPN and TigerVision. “With all the TV coverage, more players get to see LSU.”Eight of LSU’s 12 Scout four- or five-star commitments in the 2010 class are from outside Louisiana.Texas leads with four 2010 commitments, headlined by Scout five-star wide receiver Mike Davis. The 6-foot-1-inch, 175-pound Dallas native is one of the top-ranked recruits for 2010 and the Scout No. 9 wide receiver.Scout four-star offensive tackle Evan Washington and three-star quarterback Zach Lee also hail from the Lone Star State. Scout five-star running back Lache Seastrunk from Temple, Texas, still has the Tigers on his radar.One of the Tigers’ best prospects comes from Ohio. Cincinnati native Spencer Ware is the Scout No. 9 running back for 2010. The 5-foot-11-inch, 215-pound quarterback  passed for 1,938 yards and 13 touchdowns while rushing for 741 yards and 15 touchdowns his junior season at Princeton High School. Ware is projected to be a running back instead of a quarterback because of his lack of height, according to Scout.Tennessee is home to a top defensive commitment for 2010. Scout four-star linebacker Justin Maclin from Memphis is one of the best defensive recruits for the Tigers. The Scout No. 10 ranked linebacker had 92 tackles, 19 sacks and two touchdowns in 2008.Mississippi, Virginia, Kansas and California each have one 2010 commitment in LSU’s class. Two 2010 prospects come from each Alabama and Georgia.Shipp said Louisiana recruits usually have an advantage to earn a scholarship from LSU, but talent is ultimately the biggest factor.”If there is an out-of-state player better than an in-state player, they are going to go for the out-of-state player,” Shipp said. “If they are equal, they are going to go for the in-state guy.”The Louisiana talent is not ranked as high as it has been in past years — there are no Scout five-star 2010 recruits from the Pelican State.”This [year] might be a little below average for in-state talent,” Nadeau said. “They don’t have the marquee guys.”Louisiana had a handful of high talent in past years. The 2009 LSU class had three Scout five-star prospects from Louisiana — wide receiver Rueben Randle, running back Michael Ford and defensive tackle Chris Davenport. Shipp said building a rapport with recruits from different states is sometimes challenging for the LSU coaching staff.”They’re not going to have the same relationship with kids and coaches from out of state,” Shipp said. “It’s certainly harder to try to get to know the kids on and off the field.”Visits to Baton Rouge can help the Tigers steal top-talent from other states. Scout four-star defensive tackle Cassius Marsh from Westlake Village, Calif., was sold on the Tigers after his visit.”For a guy like Cassius Marsh, once he came to visit Tiger Stadium, it was done,” Nadeau said. “Once he came here, he was sold and blown away.”Shipp said LSU’s winning ways are a huge factor when a recruit makes his decision.”At the end of the day, LSU’s reputation for winning and sending players to the NFL is what’s going to get you top recruits,” Shipp said.—-Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]