Potential problem? Kid attended 3 high schools. Won't go into the accusations against him, but it's not hard to search them out on the internet. His mom also has a reputation, too. And this also was before coming to UT. I guess you could argue that those things were in the past and everyone deserves a second chance and a fresh start, but Heupel had to have known about the kids history and he obviously met the family so he chose to roll the dice anyway.
While Nico might not have had the checkered history of Carter, I'll never be convinced that Heupel never got a whiff that Nico's pop was all about the money. With all the catering and flights they did to keep that bunch happy, did Heupel really think there would be a point that they would be satisfied? Guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one counselor.
Bottom line...Heupel knew full well what he was getting into with both these recruits. He bet on himself that he could manage the situation to a successful outcome. Didn't work out with Nico. Hoping it does with Carter. I don't disagree that most high level coaches will roll the dice with talents like those two. I don't blame him for that, but Heupel does have to own it. Perhaps he should think twice before going down that same road in the future? Like I said, the buck stops with Heupel. And while baseball is different, human nature is human nature. Vitello saw what a sour apple can do to a locker room and took a different path. After Banks, I'd have thought Heupel would, too.