The "win and they will come" line, especially if some are suggesting an 8 or 9-win season would be enough to completely turn the class around, is largely rooted in copium and wishful thinking.
If we were to win 10+, compete for the playoff, and look completely revitalized on offense while featuring multiple projected first-round picks on both sides of the ball, then that *might* be a different story given how drastic a turnaround that would be. But even then, it'd likely have a far bigger impact on our chances of landing a premier portal QB and potentially reversing course with the 2025 class than it would have on the 2024 class.
When we prioritized all of the elite DL prospects, Jeremiah Smith, Drelon Miller, Brandon Baker, Ellis Robinson, and Air Noland, it was no secret we'd be competing with the annual CFB championship contenders (UGA, OSU, Bama, USC) and the top-tier spenders (Texas, Texas A&M, Auburn etc.). Even if any program in the UGA/OSU/Bama tier doesn't make the playoff, it'd be considered a rebuilding year for them and they'd just spend more aggressively. If any of the top-tier spenders have a disappointing year, their money isn't going anywhere.
Us winning 8 or 9 games wouldn't move the needle with top national recruits because it's just not enough if the money we're offering doesn't change. We've been in a lot of Top 3's and Top 5's for elite players, but the programs we're competing against are going to keep thriving and their money isn't drying up anytime soon.
