Well, this thread has taken an interesting turn. My two cents:
In-state, out of state, public, private, big, small - these are all choices that individual families have to make based on their particular circumstances and desires. There is no "right" answer.
Any chance for a player to be seen by college coaches is a good thing. The CESA combine is a great opportunity for the players to be seen by college coaches.
There are lots of ways for players to get exposure. My son's team has played several "showcase" weekends against good competition and in front of coaches from every program in the state. They've played at USC (twice), Clemson, Furman (twice), Lander and College of Charleston. These were arranged by our team's coach.
We have played in the Disney Showcase twice, the Triangle Friendlies, will play at CASL this year and the Triangle Friendlies and Cincinnati Blue Chip Showcase in '09. Several of our players participated in ODP and two were Region camp holdovers (both goalkeepers, one a 92, the other a 91 - you can imagine the fight for playing time they have on their club team!)
The bottom line is that teams should take (or make) as many opportunities as possible to be seen by as many coaches as possible. These coaches all know each other. They talk all the time and actually help each other with recruiting. If a player impresses a coach at a school that he/she may not be interested in, that coach will usually be happy to give a recommendation to the coach at a school that does interest the player.
We're just getting started in the "serious" recruiting stage. It will be exciting, nerve-wracking, disappointing and challenging - at various points along the way. Trying to properly weight soccer, academics, environment, location, is not easy. The best way to maximize your options is to be seen, over and over again. The CESA combine is a chance to be seen.
