If the market calls for a HS recruit to get paid really high, more than some starters, you better be damned sure he’s going to work out. For comparison, I remember in 2001 (damn, that was a long time ago), Texas signed an OL “Class of Beef”. This was to lay a foundation for a NC OL. These guys were all studs, all offered by several top programs. They were Jonathan Scott (All American, high draft pick, had multi year NFL career that would have been a lot better without a horrific rookie injury), Will Allen (starting G on NC team, no real desire to pursue NFL), Mike Garcia (regular depth piece), Roman Reeves, Terrance Young (backup), William Winston. Texas really wanted to Sign Jami Hightower, but he signed with the Ags, where he was a multi year starter that never made the NFL.
What’s the point? It’s that if you paid market value for a class like that, you would be having uncomfortable conversations with over half of them after one year.
This is a crazy market now.