1. If they are on the bottom of the D1 list you should have a shot. 

2. Yes... sorry, but its situational in many ways. Some players never drop, even if they give you the backup message. If you believe someone else will covet them acting early may e a benefit. However, with limited ships other coached will know you don't have much budget so you can probably be easily defeated if they DO want the player, so perhaps waiting to not only see if he drops but to gauge other interest/risk factors could be good - its variable...

2a. again, maybe. But pulling down someone from 100 miles or less should cost less than a couple grand, so it ought not to be a massive amount...

Not sure if this link helps at all or if you've seen it before, but in case its relevant or helpful: HD Pulldown Advice.doc - Google Docs

If it's possible to pull a guy down its almost always better to go for it rather than wait. You run a higher risk of som r one stepping in first if you wait. It's really not that expensive to pull down players, especially if they are closer. Most of the time at D2 if you get in on a player early other coaches won't even bother. You can lock up players on your first cycle and save a lot of money.

Also you want to be shooting for the best possible players you can get, don't settle. Especially at low prestige the players easily available are most likely not going to be the type of players you can build on. Go big.

I never wait because I am pretty sure if the player is Worth it, teams will go for him. I make lists. A : I am agressive and recruit the player ASAP. B list is about the same but I am not as agressive with recruiting money. C : I can wait for them, see what happens with my A and B lists. D is a fall-on prospect. So on C and D, I'd wait for them to drop down. I'd pull them one day after signing period if they did not drop down.

Basically, when I finish my recruiting period, I know what type of class I got and if I did well, with these lists. As an example, on my Ohio Wesleyan team, in Naismith, I had a tough recruiting period. I got two B players, one C, and two D... I considered getting walk-ons instead of the D, but I figured I'd give these D players a shot. One was a great catch, the other one is probably going to be benched forever.

I only pull down local studs....

Pull down. Trentonjoe has learned a lot being my conference mate...