Reputation would be important. Loyalty, not sure since when you want a coach, you could not care less about his loyalty. You are actually testing his loyalty...

I think the D1 logic is allright. There are ways to make it a bit better but I would not go into something to make it easier.

In Tarkanian, once you reach C reputation, you can shoot for three stars players... But getting them is another story. I just lived it. There are a lot of teams and if your division did not bring any money, you will have to settle for lesser players as I did. I am pretty sure it's easier in all other worlds.

My loyalty is A+, it's a crazy system, it's been a fun but maddening ride, time to roll those apba dice more for the hobby time. Good luck guys and thanks for the positive input. 

What if SIM teams courted good coaches from lower divisions?
An email could arrive from a weak Div-1 team, asking coaches to consider moving up. Maybe the Div-1 could offer an additional $5 million for recruiting for the first year only...?

"The board of directors at Sacred Heart is impressed with the job you've done at Merrimack. We are prepared to release an additional $5 million from Sacred Heart's Rainy Day Fund as an enticement for you to accept our job offer..."