I agree to a certain extent, but In real life if you were being recruited right now would you rather play for D1 Birmingham who is 0-18 and last in RPI at 345, or would you rather play for D2 Kentucky Wesleyan, ranked #1 at 14-0? Now that is an extreme, but some kids will play at a lower level: to be closer to home; to get more minutes; to start as a FR; because a parent, friend, or sibling played there; they just like the coach, system, or campus better.
Also scholarships come into play. D3 does not offer athletic scholarships but many players get more in financial aid packages from D3 schools than they do from D2 programs who usually only offer limited scholarships.
I guess what I am saying is: recruits are not going to pass up playing in the Big East, ACC, etc and be on National TV and instead opt for Northern Kentucky U. But a kid from Cincinnati may very well opt for D3 Thomas More over D2 Valdosta St., and he will get more playing time, be close to home, and it will probably cost him less for his education. Plus a kid choosing between D2 and D3 isn't thinking about making it to the NBA and is playing for an education, so the school itself becomes more important.
In the same vain another kid from Cincinnati may opt to stay home and play for D2 Northern Kentucky instead of D1 Kennesaw St, however the disparity is much greater between D2 and D1. It is less likely a recruit will pass up a full ride and a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament to play for a D2 program.
Real life recruiting is very complex with the 5/8 rule in D1, kids regularly transferring from low level programs to higher level programs after a great season, etc. We are never going to get it exactly the same but this is a game and that shouldn't be the expectation. I think it works pretty well right now. For a D3 team to take a recruit from a D2 program it takes a lot more money and more promises. Same for a D2 program to take a recruit form a D1 team. That seems fair.
1/21/2012 11:34 PM (edited)