EDSBS had an interesting post today: https://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2018/10/8/17941130/lets-discuss-your-recruitment
Thought experiment. You're magically an 18 year old, 5* recruit, with essentially any school who will jump at the chance for you to sign on the dotted line, and play for them.
Where do you go?
(And assume for the sake of argument that you're not you today, i.e. a grad of your current school. If you grew up loving a certain team, it's okay to say you'd go there. But if you're like me and wasn't into college football until I went to college, it would be disingenuous to say I would have gone to Purdue.)
For me, I could see going to someplace like a Stanford. Highly respected school, in a really nice metropolitan area, but not necessarily the "glitz and glamour" of a place like USC. Good enough of a program where I'd feel they could showcase my abilities, but not one where I'll know from day one that I'm just one of a gaggle of 5* recruits, so it would be the best way to get playing time and try to get to the NFL as soon as I'm eligible. And because I was a nerd in high school, I'd do my best to try to actually fast-track graduation in those 3 years so I can leave with a degree. But that may not be realistic.
I wouldn't go to the Southeast or Texas due to weather, and the Midwest or Northeast for the same reason. I'm not exactly the sort who wants a lot of attention, so a college town where I'd be "BMOC" is probably more a selling point away, so large metro areas are helpful.
What do the rest of you think?