Players are motivated by different things. Some only are worried about the money, others about an NFL career, some may play hard in hopes that it may attract other programs to take notice before the next portal, some may be because they grew up as a fan and would never leave.
I wrote in another post that questioned how did Vandy and Indiana have unmatched historical seasons, both in the same year? These are 2 of the worst D1 programs in the NCAA. I heard Vandy had 20 or more portal players. If so, had anyone else ever heard of these players or were they highly regarded? I believe they did receive some moderate NIL money, but it looked to me they were motivated by having something to prove.
I’m not saying we need to go out and get scrubs, but it may make sense to have someone on staff to do a little homework and try to sort out overachievers, if possible.