First, Jurkovec growing up a fan of Notre Dame makes a huge difference as a PA kid. Plus, Sanford did a good job with him so it made sense for him.
Second, Markese Stepp being an Indiana kid, being really good, and having such a thirst for recruiting, are strokes of luck. He is seriously an amazing recruiter, it's actually hard to overstate.
Third, there are a lot of good players in the midwest period, which lends itself to Notre Dame having a good class.
Fourth, a lot of the Florida kids have midwest ties. Houston Griffith is a midwest kid, Braden Lenzy has midwest ties, Brian Hightower has midwest ties.
Fifth, the best player in Illinois happened to be a huge Notre Dame fan.
Sixth, turns out having a defensive coordinator who cares about recruiting and has a body of work in college that shows success, is a good thing.
Seventh, whatever message the whole staff is selling, its working out right now.