Ok but who cares? The answer is: not our donors.
Like, of fucking course we're going to have to pay more to get a top recruit, that's obvious. We don't have the history or brand recognition. That shit takes time and wins. Time is free, but how do you get the wins? You need to get players. How do you get players? You pay them. Everyone pays. If we have to pay a bit more then we'll do it because we have the money. It's a really simple calculus that any GM could make in his sleep, and given how many times much bigger brands have tried to poach Blanchard just in the last couple of years, it seems like he's doing something right.
Do you think it's an accident that Texas seems to be paying the most football NIL out of anyone? That's how Ohio State won a title, and Texas wants to do the same. It seems like a good idea to me.
If you really, actually want to win, you have to do all the things Tech has been doing. Invest in great facilities, pay your players, the only aspect that the jury's still out on is the coach. If he can't produce, we'll pay someone else, and I guarantee you we won't make the same mistakes aggy did. It's like I said earlier, we're very obviously trying to follow the Texas model because it's a good model, and of course there's going to be a lot of catch-up involved. You can't close a gap like that overnight, and hell maybe you can't close it period, but you can definitely get a lot closer.
Either way it'll be fun to watch it all play out.