Definitely a sleazy, crazy system. Schools are hypocrites, coaches at the blue bloods are dirtbags for overselling to stack the deck ... but the kids and their parents (or "handlers") bear some responsibility too. In this age in particular it is pretty easy for these guys to know the score of how many are stacked up against them at a certain place vs another and to be realistic at their odds of standing out. I guess there's a confidence/ego thing (and let's face it, a payola thing too for many *cough* Foster *cough*). "I don't care if there's 10 other 5 star guys at my position, I'm baddest ass on the field" and that's cool, you want a player to have confidence ... but it's a fine line vs. delusion.
That said it's always struck a little sad that year in and out, our best selling point for recruits is "chance to play immediately." One can always kind of finish that thought in one's head with a quote by Nick Marmo...