1. If being developed for the NFL was his primary concern, well over anything else, he would not be choosing TN.
2. I never said NIL was the only thing that mattered, but it sure as hell does matter. And it's a pretty major selling point for us.
3. Every single recruit says it's not about the money. And nearly every single time, they go to the team that offers the most money. How convenient? Or should we just believe them all? Not only that, but it's the same for athletes at every single level where money is involved. They all say it's not about the money, and then they conveniently take the highest offer. David Sanders said (or at least implied) it wasn't about the money either. But funny enough, he went to to the program that offered the most money (and by a significant amount if you believe certain people).
There's tons of players that have openly gone with the highest bidder and haven't tried to hide it. There's no secret there. And if it was about strictly money, we wouldn't still be the most likely team to flip him. I don't know the exact numbers each team has offered him, but it's no secret that we were never the highest bidder. Yet, here we are being one of the teams with the most likely shot to flip him. That clearly shows it's not all about money..
That's exactly why he originally chose LSU. Out of the teams in his top 4,LSU had the upper hand in developing WR's and Putting them in the league. The majority of them weren't coached by the current staff, but LSU is at or near the top of being WRU because of what they put in the league before BK arrived. Most recently, I'd probably put Ohio St as the current WRU, along with Ala. With a strong year by Hyatt,Thornton and the WR's currently on the roster, it would definitely go a long way in changing the narrative on Pope and CJH's development of WR's. So far, I have zero faith in Pope. If we land Keys, it won't be because of development or NIL. It will be because he wants to play with Faizon and whatever deal Adidas puts on the table. Truth be told, none of his 4 finalists currently have a WR staff that's currently developed WR's and put them in the league at a high clip. So, even him saying development is the top factor that wouldn't put LSU heavily in 1st place.
As far as David Sanders goes, supposedly Ohio St offered him the most money and by a good amount more. So much that it was more than what Ohio St gave to their entire offensive line. Yet, he still chose the Vols. We did add a sweetener that did include housing. So, Sanders proved it wasn't all about the money. Not to mention, he had the best relationship with the Coach's here and the current players. Even an Ohio St insider said Sanders chose not to go with the highest bidder, ,which was great for us. He chose proximity and relationship's with the Coach's over the highest bid. So, a case where money wasn't the deciding factor.
I'm at the point with Keys that I have no idea what's going to be the deciding factor. It's a false narrative that LSU under BK puts out elite WR's and develops them at a high rate. Pre BK, absolutely, but not currently. Not so sure NIL is the deciding factor with Keys, especially with him signing a deal with Adidas that has nothing to do with who he picks. He's going to get his no matter where he goes. I could be wrong, but I believe the deciding factor will be comfortability with the staff, incoming future teammates, having the talent around him to help set him up for success. Obviously having an elite talent at QB that will consistently get him the ball will be a huge factor. It helps that he and Faizon have a great relationship. Either way, I can't imagine any school will be comfortable signing him until he signs his papers and enrolls.
I don’t think there are updates to give every day. He’s provided the same update for months at this point.
