Why are the recruits that I see in my recruiting search possibly different from the players that other coaches see in their recruiting searches?

When you search for recruits and enter the division (you should always enter your current division level), the recruits returned to you are those that would be willing to play at your school --- this means the results are specific to your school and based on your school's prestige level within the game (based on school history).  This is done because a player who is borderline D-II / D-III, for example, and has options at both levels would consider playing for a top D-III school, but not an average or below average D-III school and therefore those schools (average or below) would simply be wasting their money if they tried to recruit him.