Hey all, just dipping my toes into this game and really enjoying it so far. Man, there is so much depth and detail. Nice job!! (And the real world mod is fantastic - thank you!).

So, with my first play-through, I am taking over USC-Upstate. The mighty Spartans have a prestige of 13, and our roster is the island of misfit toys in many respects. I created a coach with a little bit of recruiting mojo but not much else (lots of potential though in all categories). With only two scholarships to fill the first year, I am wondering if I should just focus on the kids who are interested in my program (1-stars and a few 2-stars) or if I should try to recruit above my head a little bit in the early months (go after some 3- or even 4-star guys) and then take the scraps in the spring if I can't get any takers. Thoughts?

USC-Upstate isn't going to get any better if we don't get better kids. But I don't want to run a fool's errand if it is going to waste my time trying to woo the better guys to come to my humble campus...

Any other recruiting tips for first-timers would be welcome... Thanks again!

You can recruit over your head in your state and in your local recruiting area. Southeast? Outside of that it is only possible if your school has very very high academics. Sometimes a kid will be sold on that. Have fun with the game! I've been playing since the Spring of 2007. It never gets old!

It's good to get to know the recruiting system, but to be honest, if you want to improve in the short-term then you'd be better served in the transfer market.

Edit to add: You often don't get a lot of stats to look at when evaluating players on the transfer market. What I do is chase players from high prestige schools.