I'll agree in part with the short term buzz a program receives with getting superb talent. On the contrary, I disagree with the lets get an elite recruit to show we belong again theory.
Example: Dooley was able to secure/salvage a nice recruiting class his first year with the likes of 5 star Rogers and top rated hunter along with others. However, He finished 6-6 in that inaugural 2010 season and we all know how the other two seasons played out with no real improvement in recruiting/coaching.
Therefore, in my opinion, beating ranked teams consistently like FL, GA, SC, etc. while developing the talent you have on the roster will bring all the attention needed for national publicity and to show we are back with future recruits. We need wins to be relevant again and not just wins against Vandy, NCst, Ky etc. Winning will come down to Coaching up our existing players. LSU-GA both are examples of having top tier talent with mediocre coaching. Yes they win a lot of games but they blow the close ones or against teams they shouldn't have lost to. IE Ga vs. boise state and LSU vs. clemson.