UNC coach Butch Davis and N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien both said nice things about high school football in North Carolina during their opening days in their new jobs.

"We’ll turn over every single stone in every single town in North Carolina and find the players that truly have the passion and the commitment that they want to come to school here and become the student-athletes that we’re looking for, that want to excel in the classroom as well as on the field," Davis said. "Every place I’ve ever coached, that was the beginning place. You start at home."

"I want to start in North Carolina," O'Brien said. "I think that's most important, that we start at home and then work our way from Raleigh both north, south, east and west as best we can. That will be the priority, and then we will work our way north and work our way south. We are not going to drive past a kid in North Carolina just because there is a kid out in Tennessee or somewhere."

Regardless of what Davis and O'Brien may really believe, or what they ultimately may learn, they were smart to say what they did.

At least two former in-state coaches, Dick Crum of UNC and Chuck Amato of N.C. State, alienated segments of their in-state constituencies (high school coaches, etc.) at times with their blunt assessments of the in-state talent base and their fascinations with out-of-state alternatives. Crum, previously the head coach at Miami-Ohio, signed lots of players from the Ohio Valley. Amato, formerly a top assistant at Florida State, signed an extraordinary number of prospects from the Sunshine State.

Davis and O'Brien may have been even smarter to limit their verbal bouquets to the idea of "starting" in North Carolina, rather than assuming that in-state prospects will provide all the answers. If they really view the home turf as merely a starting point, they'll have a chance to avoid a potentially deadly mistake.

Former East Carolina head coach Steve Logan, now the offensive coordinator at Boston College, recently said on his radio show (620 The Bull in Durham) that he would recommend Davis or O'Brien using all 25 scholarships in a given year on in-state prospects. Logan offered only anecdotal evidence to support the wisdom of such a decision, and that seems to be the case with everyone in the "North Carolina Talent Is Wonderful" camp. It's easy to throw compliments, on a case-by-case basis, in every direction. It's a lot more difficult to find hard evidence to support the broader claim.

Research by the ACC Sports Journal and ACCSports.com repeatedly has shown that North Carolina has the worst "football demographics" of any state in the ACC region. The state's average of about 60 Division I-A signees per year isn't bad — that ranks among the top dozen in the nation — but the presence of five I-A programs in the state, along with numerous others within a reasonable driving distance, offers a significant complication. Georgia, in contrast, has two I-A teams and produces about 150 I-A signees per year. As Amato said, to the chagrin of many locals, there's no denying that the simple math — I-A signees/I-A teams — isn't pretty in North Carolina.

Many of those who accept the unfortunate mathematics of the situation continue to insist that the North Carolina programs would be just fine if they simply prevented the top in-state prospects from signing with out-of-state programs. Undoubtedly, that's part of the problem, but even that doesn't explain everything — not even close.

Ready for the long, impressive, overwhelming list of North Carolina high school football products who spent the 2006 season conquering the top level (BCS) of college football as truly outstanding, full-time starters for out-of-state programs? Don't hold your breath.

Here it is: Michigan safety Jamar Adams (from Charlotte), Georgia tackle Daniel Inman (Fayetteville), Florida quarterback Chris Leak (Charlotte) and Georgia wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi (Charlotte). This list, remember, is compiled from FIVE YEARS' WORTH of North Carolina recruiting classes, from the rosters and depth charts of 62 out-of-state programs in the six BCS conferences. Four players!

Granted, the list grows as the criteria change. (More details next time.) Full-time starters from North Carolina at the 62 out-of-state BCS programs this season? That's 10, including Clemson defensive back C.J. Gaddis (Raeford) and Maryland defensive tackle Dre Moore (Charlotte). Add in key reserves, and the number grows again, but only to 15 or so. There also were a few prominent in-state products at East Carolina and other non-BCS programs this year, and a few more at the Division I-AA level.

Nevertheless, the bottom line remains the same. The next time you hear someone talk about the legions of in-state players now starring for big-time programs in other states, only a one-word response is necessary:

Where?