I budget every year, so that I have a certain amount accounted for guys who are undecided (guys that I absolutely know I will sign). I then take what's left from that and use in battles. Usually, I use less than the average amount per scholarship for the guys who are undecided. Thus, in D2 you get 7k per scholarship. I'll average about 3k per non-battle scholarship. That gives me an extra 4k to use on guys who I need to battle for.
I've lost very few recruiting battles with this strategy and I usually have solid classes according to Guess. I think it works well for a team that is trying to rebuild.