I’m beginning to buy into the idea that film and character are better than 5 stars. As long as you are elite at evaluating film. Not easy to do. But ND seems to get a lot more out of their 3-4 star players than most other teams do. With the obvious exception being at QB.
My guess is that a huge percentage of 5-stars who fizzle out fall into two categories - 1 Kids who are ranked highly more for their measurables and potential rather than for actual production, and 2 easily detectable character flaws often ignored by coaches who are fixated by physical ability.
You always take a risk on recruiting a five star athlete with measurables. It's a no brainer. It's actually no risk at all. If you're a good coach, this is what you do - develop athletically gifted players. Win some, lose some.
Recruiting players with character issues is where it gets difficult. The bust rate for these kids is high. With NIL, that risk likely increases. Last I checked, throwing a pile of money at someone with poor judgment rarely ends well. But NIL might actually help coaches weed out these players. The more money these kids expect to earn, the more their true behavior starts to show. Eventually, their stupidity becomes impossible to ignore, and dealing with them, their families and handlers becomes more trouble than it’s worth.
I wouldn’t waste time or resources on players like that, especially with the added risk of them becoming a cancer within the team. It's like marrying a really hot slut, giving her an Amex gold and a white Range Rover, and thinking you’re going to turn her into a loyal, grounded housewife. Good luck with that. Some people may disagree, and that’s fine - go ahead and marry a loose woman.
In these cases I'll take the high character 3 and 4 star.
All that said, 5 stars are 5 stars for a reason. You're not winning titles without them. You take 'em unless there are obvious character flaws.
