The key will be who can pay for the 5 star DL and OL. Every power 5 school has the resources and booster support to pay a QB a million. The difference I think will be what schools can pay the two deep players a substantial amount. The 1 million paid to Young who hasn’t even played yet is a publicity stunt by Saban. Saban even admitted that using the NFL model lineman won’t receive as much. Schools like Bama, Auburn, Mississippi St, Ole Miss, Kentucky, etc that are located in poorer economies won’t be able to compete when it comes to paying for a complete team when recruiting. Tennessee’s economy plus booster support probably ranks them behind Texas A & M, Florida, and Georgia. Again I am considering all factors.
Another school if Jerry Jones and the Walton family goes in big time is Arkansas. Those two boosters even though Arkansas is located in a state with limited resources can certainly keep that program competitive. The players attending west coast and east coast schools near large cities won’t reap many benefits as those markets don’t give a **** about college sports. There are exceptions with Ohio State and Penn State. That’s about it. My point is Tennessee will be able to compete for players if they can get their **** together with boosters and businesses throughout the state from Memphis to Tri Cities and everything in between. Again the schools with the resources locally and state wide that can pay substantial for two deep players will be the winners come recruiting. It is my opinion long term Bama won’t be able to do that and Saban will be gone in a few years.