I agree with the comments regarding pipelines and distance from home. Pipelines make sense on a more localized level, but if you have four players from San Diego, for example, that shouldn't realistically have any bearing on a recruit from Sacramento. Similarly, basing the "proximity to home" variable solely on being in the same state, or the number of adjacent states disregards basic geography. For an extreme example, a recruit from El Paso should not have an A+ for proximity to Houston, compared to a B+ for the New Mexico schools. Toledo (which is on the Michigan border) should not have a better grade for Cincinnati-area recruits as compared to Detroit-area recruits.

I think that EA could make it more realistic, either by going on a mileage-based system to determine proximity, or by subdividing larger states into regions (i.e. north/ central/ south Florida). For a mileage-based system, they could simply have concentric circles determine the score-- for example, an A+ would be within 50 miles of the school (regardless of state lines), an A would be from 51-100 miles, etc. Since we can't be expected to know the location of every town in every state, the game would have to display the mileage to each school in the recruiting screens, and it could be another variable for finding players. The regional split might be easier from a programming basis, and instead of simply having a pipeline into Florida by virtue of having four players from anywhere in the state, you might need three from one of the regions to get an advantage in that part of the state. Just a thought...