At WR, they're having to account for retaining: Wingo, Lockett, Ffrench, Terry, McCutcheon, and Mosley for the 2026 season. They have 3 WRs that they like already in the fold. If McJaggerson, Niblett, Butler, any, some or all, also turn out to truly be contributors, that's 1-3 more guys on the payroll.
Paying a premium for a 4th guy who is very, very unlikely to contribute as a freshman with that lot in front of them, just doesn't make any sense. I see the logic with putting a defensible offer forward and standing on it. If a legacy can't make that work because they need to grab another $500k elsewhere, fuck'em and move on.
Honestly, I'm not sure putting as much of a commitment on the last cycle's signees at WR makes a ton of sense either, but they got into a feeding frenzy.
Another thing of note is that Moore, McJaggerson, and McCutcheon were the cheapest guys signed in each cycle. We know Moore is a starter who was a big contributor last year. We all know we're being told that Jaggy is about to be a surprise contributor. The staff is telling everyone who will listen that McCutcheon is the most likely freshman to play and contribute early at this point.
It's just not clear right now that focusing massive NIL is smart at the HS WR recruit level. I don't think it can be said that is stupid to do so, either. I am glad we were aggressive with Wingo and the haul from last year, of course. Still, I am sure the assessment of this strategy is ongoing.