Teams in the Central and Eastern timezones have zero need to go all the way over to California to recruit players. Why bother? They have all the players they need in Texas, the South, even Virginia/DMV, Ohio, Penn, NJ.
This leaves California high end players “stranded” in a sense. And there are a lot of them and some very good ones.
Their main options for high end college are the former PAC schools. 12 schools, total. And even then Stanford, Berkeley are high academic and usually not good, UCLA usually not good. Only so many guys can get on USC.
Easy to see then how a nothing school like Oregon can swoop in suck up a bunch of great Calif. guys.
Washington can too.
This is a unique and highly geographical reality of the shape of our country and where football is emphasized.
Minnesota is the worst of both worlds. About as far away as you can get from both Calif and the South.
Culturally opposite of both. Cold is opposite of both.