I think I've been as straightforward as I could be in that Sharma already flipped to USC earlier this week. Texas has been doing what it can, but USC's extremely desperate. This goes back to being too selective early on if you weren't going to have the cajones to do what it takes to retain the guys you do land.
They want to develop as many guys from the ground up as they can. At every position. That obviously doesn't mean they'd ever ignore the portal as one of winners there in each cycle.
I think people are confusing the costs of recruiting these days, really. I know imma knows that, but just building off of the point around development. Some guys cost most than others. Some guys still sign with almost no NIL understanding or expectation. Other guys know their specific market via the help of agents or savvy parents and it goes as high as $1.25M/year for non-QBs, apparently, given that that's part of why Moore went to Oregon.
Even the stars fail to normally go nearly that high. But that's not "the market" generally speaking for a position. Chase Sims could have been had for virtually nothing. Guidry, same. WIth UT's S&C and coaching development in this regime, either guy winds up contributing and potentially becoming draft picks. Neither of them approached something like $250k.
His trajectory has been downward, even before Daboer. It's odd. Injuries and culture issues this year didn't help. Dude quit on the team midseason. I wouldn't touch him. The $9.95ers are idiots for rating him so highly. That's a brand thing only.
Nansen basically decided he wasn't really interested in Petitjohn until it was far too late. Not sure what the guy was thinking, as he's been very good otherwise. Just a bizarre play.
On Lacey, I think there was some element of loyalty to both the recruit and the evaluation on Sarkisian's end. Given the guy's track record at QB, I guess I've got to just shrug and call myself the idiot for doubting him when it pans out.