Yeah, I think the coach identifies the players he wants, and the NIL collective is his bank. They shouldn't be blamed for the coach being a poor talent evaluator, but let's be honest, it's easier to get it right if your budget is in the Dillon Gabriel/Cam Ward tax bracket rather than the K.J. Jefferson tax bracket.
The challenge these coaches are facing is more existential than "who can I afford?" The real issue is whether the transfer portal can continue to be a viable means of building a successful college football program. There's no salary cap, no collective bargaining, no multi-year deals that force the players to commit beyond one season (or even until the end of a season). The players have no allegiance to the school and no sense of being a part of something that they helped build. Can programs keep reloading with 30+ one-year mercenaries every single year, while going back to boosters every summer to rustle up the cash to pay next year's QB? And you're really rolling the dice with 5th-year seniors because unless they're good enough to get in the NFL, they have no incentive to perform well. This is it for them, there is no next year, there are no career-advancement goals. Why does K.J. Jefferson look so happy on the sideline? Because getting benched means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things for him. He's getting paid either way and this was the last stop for him.
