The memory gets a little fuzzy, but I think most recruits were in-State with others coming mostly from States nearby.
That was probably true of most teams except Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Michigan and a few others who recruited nationally. Also, there was the time period when blacks did not play on Southern teams. During this time, many of the Northern teams would recruit the blacks from the South.
As TV games became more popular, recruiting budgets became larger, and travel became easier. Most all schools broadened their respective recruiting areas.
Academic requirements have gradually increased, making it more difficult to recruit all players locally for most schools. However, the schools with the least difficult requirements could naturally recruit more from their home States.
When Florida, FSU, and Miami became entrenched at the top of the rankings, many colleges started raiding the players from the State of Florida.
Actually, it appears to have been a natural progression from in-State to national recruiting due to facility and necessity.