maybe have recruiting costs be a dynamic thing that can change depending on how you work them?
say a coach is in tennessee but really want to start landing some texas players.
maybe its tough to crack initially, but perhaps over time it could become easier (i.e. cheaper in the sim) to go after guys in texas becuse the coaching staff has built up relationships in the area?
also, possibly consider positional awards and development? if a coach has had 10 straight heisman winning qbs, i would think most top qb prospects would be more interested in that school/coach? tracking AA award winners at every position could also feed into this.
and well as some sort of player development score: something like comparing preseason AA to postseason AA. if a coach has zero preseason AA but ends up with 10 postseason AA then he ovbiously got a lot outta his guys.
if its the other way around (like it is at Georgia for instance) then the coach is not great at developing talent and maybe this has a negative impact?