How do I know if I am really first in line for a recruit if he is considering more than one school? I know FSS sends updates, but I don't have it. Do the responses to letters and calls tell the true story, i.e. if he says hes so excited and I'm number one is that true, or does he say that to the other guys?

Also, how much does lower prestige hurt? My school is C+ so I assume some competing teams will have higher prestige when I get to that point.

The scholarship messages are the only ones that really mean anything, other than FSS reports.  Those will tell you if you ahead or behind, and you'll get an updated scholarship messages if your status changes.

Prestige isn't going to make too big a difference in D3.  In D1 it's a MUCH bigger deal.