I am brand new, what I know about this game comes from reading the player's guide and the forums. I am in a battle for a recruit with another team . .
I am 130 miles away, the other team is 560 (two states) away
The other team has only one available scholarship - 11 returning players
By my understanding, the other team therefore has a little more than 3K to spend.
The only reason they would want the player in question is if they scouted him. To scout his home state and this player's state, would cost about $1,000, and make no sense. But for him to scout all the states up to a 560 mile radius would cost his entire budget, or more.
When I had spent $2000 on a mix of recruiting efforts, my school name did not even appear on his profile as being considered (even though i constantly get "I am not against playing there" responses.
Now that I have spent $3000, I am on the board at last. But not ahead. Keep in mind my home visits cost $325, his cost about $770.
How could a team with one scholarship afford to scout so far away and still have over $3000 left to spend?