Anyone who doesn't think high rated players all over the country & especially in South Fla aren't getting paid is simply naive.
I know for a fact that bags get dropped because I've personally seen it with my own eyes going back to even when I was in High School.
The difference between the bags now & 10 years ago is the upfront money. Back then, they didn't pay players so much upfront it was mostly backend promises once the player was signed & in the program. But, because Bama has completely ratcheted up the system by flooding the game with cash every other program has had to up the ante & start paying as high as 10K just to book unofficials. That's not the price for every player, but the elite 4/5-star kids are 100% getting paid for their interest in a school, which forces some teams to either jump the gun too early or get steamrolled by the Bama's, UGA's, Oh st, Clemson's & USC's of the world.
There are some schools who understand how to be discreet about it, but there are other schools where they make it obvious & it's actually apart of their recruitng pitch. They literally tell kids, "you come here you'll get paid, you go there you'll be wasting your time sitting on the bench with nothing to show for it".
Then when you add on High School & 7v7 coaches who are also getting paid to deliver kids to certain schools, plus the various ways in which they can funnel cash to prospects it's a pretty tough system to beat if you're not playing the game as well.