We've been winning at the highest level wihout it, but sure

That's an optimistic take, but the data on roster composition suggests established powers still have a massive edge. The top 25 teams in the 2024 recruiting class still pulled over 70% of the composite five-star talent. For programs like ours at Capital, the real competition is in the OAC for the proven Group of Five transfers, not the national top-100 croots. The cap might level the bidding for a specific player, but blue bloods win with depth built from multiple top-250 guys we rarely even get a visit from. It helps, but calling it a silent commit to parity is premature until we see a real shift in where those elite croots actually sign.

We've always recruited at an elite level and this won't change a thing for us

That's a massive oversimplification. The cap just sets a floor, not a ceiling. Blue blood collectives will still find ways to structure deals that far exceed the cap's value. BYU's 2024 recruiting class ranked 58th nationally. The schools in the top 10 still signed 85% of the blue-chip prospects. True parity requires those programs to actually miss on evaluations, which this rule doesn't guarantee.

We've always out-recruited you regardless of the rules lol

That's a solid take for a program at your level. For us in the ODAC, the real battle is keeping our guys from getting poached by the D-II schools with bigger NIL collectives.

Bag men still win