We disagree on how much NIL and Fertitta are impacting the program (outside of the new arena). They aren't recruiting a bunch of stud kids. Yes, they got Walker last year, but most of the starters/contributors this year were 3* kids that have simply developed and been coached up.
I can't tell you how to feel, but constantly blaming NIL, I just can't get there. And I don't want to get there b/c that is likely to ALWAYS be a problem for us. Moser landed most of the transfers he went after. NIL likely wasn't going to bring in anybody better than what Soares has done, and probably even Moore. JM was a guy Moser locked onto early. Same with Sherfield the year before. Who are all the elite transfers or HS kids coming into the Big 12 on big NIL deals? 2023 recruiting, OU is 4th in the Big 12 in rating per prospect (247).
NIL just seems like an excuse. NIL isn't why OU finished 1 game out of 12th place in the conference. That isn't NIL.
You want to say NIL is why we can't win a NC? I might agree with you there. But you cannot convince me that we don't have the current resources to be better than we've been the last 3 years. Not like we're losing a bunch of guys from our roster to NIL. Hill, and that was a unique situation, and one in which we probably came out ahead.
Edit: And for the record, I don't know how much credit to give Kellen. I've read to much to not give him any, he is a big part of what they do. But even if he isn't actively doing it himself, my hope is that he is capable of doing it and could/would at OU. Maybe there would be some growing pains. Maybe not. Who knows? But I feel that way about most of the names we'd hire, even if they have experience. I'm looking more at fit, style, and upside. Joe C would have to conduct the interview, talk to some folks, and get a plan for how Kellen would succeed at OU first, if it even got that far. I just like the fit. OU basketball could survive if he underachieved and we had to move on. We survived Capel and some pretty thin years with Lon at the helm at Buddy left. And we've survived two pretty lackluster years of Moser before this year. Again, the OU brand is strong.
