am I alone in not caring where recruits come from?

Obviously it's nice to lock down the immediate South Bend area, which ND typically does, but I have no preference for a recruit in Indianapolis or Detroit vs Philly/NYC, Charlotte, Atlanta, Texas, etc.

I want better players. If Shrews decides he can land them in the midwest, so be it.

Exactly. I don't care if recruits come from Zeta Reticuli...

Increasing talent upside is the key.

There is value in recruiting locally

In the portal area, a lot of kids who leave Indiana will look to come back when they enter the portal. And we haven’t exactly had great success in keeping kids from places like California, in any sport. South Bend has a lot of good players and local interest is good for both attendance and player retention. Basketball is also the one sport where Indiana has a boatload of talent. Notre Dame shouldn’t have to go all the way to Tulsa to find Parker Friedrichsen, nor expect him to stick around.

Scott Martin is a good example.

It's tough recruiting in IU/PU territory. But the good news is that ND offers something entirely different. And Indiana has a good pool. It's a shame that ND let Butler creep in as a legit competitor for that pool.