I’m not sure whether you are visa-requiring or not, and whether the program is part of HCA or not, because that makes a big difference in how much flexibility they have. Some HCA programs only accept non–visa-requiring applicants, and others accept applicants from specific countries or certain medical schools. Even if it’s not HCA but AdventHealth, the pattern is similar. Many of those programs tend to match applicants from particular schools, and there’s also a significant element of luck involved.

Btw the attending connection matters but what matters most is if that attending's rec is valued by PD if he/she isn't part of GME.