@Flaps Well, let's think about that. The folks who would be interested in PLC will include folks like you who may not earn a scholarship along weith those for whom it's plan A. Do you think folks like you would make it competitive? Regardless of the caliber of the candidates there is the simple fact that there will only be a certain number of applicants that are accepted into PLC and that number will be determined by how many additional (over and above USNA and ROTC) Lts are needed for that particular class year to meet the needs of USMC. So some years it might be a large number; some years it might be a small number. In any case the need for new Lts any given year is not infinite and therefore it's by definition a competition.
Other than that background, I have no special awareness of the competitiveness and needs of PLC in general or for any given year. Do I think you probably have a fair chance? Yes. Is it guaranteed? No. Nothing in life is guaranteed.
Do you need to treat PLC like it's a big deal right now? If I understand, you seem to be planning on doing NROTC while in college in any case. If you attend the Citadel you will be doing it for all four years as I understand it. So, if you do end up going the PLC route it will be 4 years before you commission. Can you foresee what the needs for new Lts will be in 4 years? Neither can I. Can you foresee how many folks will be applying for PLC in order to commission four years from now? Neither can I. There are so many variables involved including the economy, the budget, whether or not we are involved in a war at that time, and other things.
I wouldn't worry too much about how competitive PLC is until it's time to cross that bridge. Simply know that it's there if Plan A (ROTC) doesn't work out the way you would hope. In the meantime work hard, volunteer where possible, develop excellent leadership skills in NROTC, make good use of those skills, get great grades, and you'll have an excellent shot at both Plans A & B. Besides, even if it's competitive and you need to, you'll apply anyway, right? Frankly, I'm at a loss to understand why you seem to be so intent on understanding the competitiveness for PLC at this time.
Just my 2 cents. BTW, I agree that what the recruiter said would be true about enlisting. I don't think it's true of officer programs if only because there is a numbers game involved. The numbers of enlisted needed are far larger than the number of officers needed, by definition.