Right or wrong, there is a belief that colleges and universities should emphasize the recruitment of in-state players. For states with larger pools of talent, such as California and Texas, that is easy. As well, it gives programs in those states a recruiting advantage.
A review of the rosters for the 2012 PAC 12 volleyball teams was conducted to identify the number of in-state players on their rosters. This analysis produced the following results:
• About 42%, or 78 of 185 players, were in-state players.
• 7 of the 12 teams had rosters that included more than 42% in-state players.
• The breakdown of in-state players by team, and the percentage of in-state players on each team follows:
– UCLA 12 players, 75.0% of the team – California team
– Cal 9 players, 60.0% of the team – California team
– OSU 9 players, 50.0% of the team
– Stanford 8 players, 53.3% of the team – California team
– WSU 7 players, 50.0% of the team
– UU 7 players, 43.8% of the team
– USC 6 players, 46.2% of the team – California team
————42.2% average for the PAC 12—————————–
– CU 6 players, 40.0% of the team
– ASU 6 players, 35.3% of the team
– WU 3 players, 20.0% of the team
– UO 3 players, 20.0% of the team
– UA 2 players, 12.5% of the team.
It is very clear that it is easier for the California teams to recruit in-state players because they have a larger talent pool. It seems evident that recruiting in-state players is less important than attracting quality players for Oregon, Washington, and Arizona.
Is 42% too low of a percentage for the number of in-state players? Should teams be required to have quotas for the number of in-state players on their rosters? The answer depends on the mission of the PAC-12 and its member schools.