You see ESPN running that piece on the 23 five-stars in the 2027 class and I just have to shake my head. Back in the 1992 season when we joined the SEC East, we didn't have 23 five-star players in the entire country, let alone one class. Coach Goff had to go find kids from the Georgia high school ranks who wanted to play for the G on their helmet, not for the highest bidder. We built the 2002 SEC Championship team with three-star kids from Valdosta and Lowndes County who stayed four years and developed into men. Now these 23 prospects are being scouted like they are NFL veterans before they have even played a down of college football. The pressure on these kids must be enormous. I remember when a five-star rating meant you were Herschel Walker or Champ Bailey, a once in a generation talent. Now they hand those stars out like candy at a parade. NIL has turned these 23 prospects into free agents before they even sign a letter of intent. The new revenue sharing cap at 20.5 million is just going to make the bidding war more organized but no less disgusting. We used to win recruiting battles because a kid wanted to run through that hedges and hear the Chapel Bell ring after a win. Now it is about who can put together the best package of cash and promises. Kirby has done a good job navigating this mess but I miss the days when you earned your stars by what you did on Friday nights, not by how many Instagram followers you had. The 2027 class will be decided by which program has the best NIL collective, not which program develops the best men. That is just the reality of where we are now.