Recruiting has gone national, which means the challenge of signing the best in-state talent is exponentially more difficult than, say, 30 years ago.

With that in mind, we’re building a six-man all-star in-state team of sorts for each program in the SEC, looking for more recent recruits with more options who chose to stay home.

Auburn is in a tricky spot, usually and certainly recently chasing Alabama for the best in-state talent.

Here are the best, by position, Alabama kids who became part of WDE Nation.

Quarterback — Stan White

Long after Pat Sullivan arrived from Birmingham and became Auburn’s first Heisman Trophy winner in 1971, another Birmingham-area quarterback chose the Tigers and left his mark on the program.

White, from Hoover, predated the recruiting rankings, but he sits atop the Tigers’ list for career yards (8,016) and completions (659) and ranks fourth in touchdown tosses (40).

He was the quarterback on the Tigers’ undefeated 1993 team, which beat Alabama but was banned from postseason play for previous NCAA rules violations.

White still keeps a watchful eye over the Tigers’ program as a popular radio analyst.

Running back — Bo Jackson

Cadillac Williams, a five-star force in the 2001 class from Attalla, certainly is more recent, but nobody surpassed Jackson, a two-sport superstar from Bessemer.

Jackson won the 1985 Heisman Trophy and still holds the Tigers’ career record for rushing yards with 4,303. He scored 43 career touchdowns, two shy of Williams’ record.

In high school, Jackson won two state championships in the decathlon, according to an ESPN.com story. Of course he later became the first athlete selected to play in the MLB All-Star Game and the NFL’s Pro Bowl.

Jackson homered in the 1989 All-Star Game, leading the American League to a 5-3 win and earning MVP honors.

https://vine.co/v/ewDntAqKnla

Wide receiver — Sammie Coates

Nobody will mistake Auburn for “WRU” — and Coates is a perfect fit in that regard.

Coming out of Leroy, an hour north of Mobile, Coates was a three-star recruit in the 2011 class. He was the No. 44-ranked receiver in a position group that included Sammy Watkins, Odell Beckham Jr. and Kelvin Benjamin.

Just like those three more heralded classmates, Coates landed safely in the NFL, a third-round pick of the Steelers in 2015.

Defensive lineman — Nick Fairley

Mobile’s Fairley was a three-star recruit playing on the other side of the ball in 2007.

He took a detour through junior college before becoming an All-American run-stuffer for Auburn in 2010. He anchored the Tigers’ national championship defense and led the SEC in sacks (11.5) and tackles for a loss (24).

Linebacker — Karlos Dansby

Takeo Spikes, a first-rounder and two-time NFL Pro Bowler, typically is the first linebacker Tigers’ fans think of for best-of purposes, but he’s not from Alabama.

Dansby’s not a bad consolation prize.

He was an All-American in 2003 and named to the Tigers’ all-decade team in 2010.

Most important for our purposes, he starred at Woodlawn High in Birmingham.

Defensive back — Chris Davis

Davis is a classic overachiever, an overlooked three-star recruit in the 2010 class from Birmingham who delivered perhaps the signature play in program history.

Alabama’s 2010 class, incidentally, included four defensive backs all rated at least four stars.

So the fact that Davis delivered his famous Kick Six to beat Alabama sealed his legend.

But Davis did more than return a missed field goal 109 yards for a game-winning touchdown. He was an All-American in 2013 and finished third in the SEC that season with 14 pass breakups.