My son played for NEB and was recruited at all three Division levels. That said, all were confined to New England which honestly is what we preferred anyhow. I will say that playing at East Cobb and the other popular showcase venues often involve playing in front of empty bleachers at High School and Community College fields as many games aren't at the primary facilities during these so called tournaments. I'm not sure all the travel is really worth it in the end. I guess to each his own and how much you feel like paying.
Ultimately we were pleased with NEBs involvement. At least for the D1 and D2 schools, NEB was typically contacted about my son by the colleges before my son was so Scott and company could give us a heads up as to what they were interested in. One D1 school even floated the offer by Scott first before my son which Scott passed along and then he pulled himself out of the middle of it to let us deal with the school directly.
At the end of the day they're all running a business. If you want your son to get more exposure this will help but not as much as a lot of talent will.
I agree that Scott and NEB do a fantastic job. I know several alumni and current players who are very pleased.
In terms of "what you're willing to pay", the Ruffnecks tuition includes all travel, expenses, hotels & meals as well as complete uniform, helmet and equipment bag. So, parents don't need to travel with players. At $3000 with all that is included I don't feel it is out of line with what many AAU teams charge that stay local for most of the season with maybe one tournament in the South. Additionally, they provide over $20,000 in financial aid to players each year.
And - totally agree that talent is the most important factor. Without that it doesn't matter where you play or who you play for.