Michigan 247 writers have a thread entitled "Handicapping the Race for Jalen Brown.". some quotes by his father in an interview he gave them after the visit:
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“We talked about NIL (during the Michigan visit),” Mr. Brown said. “I ain't gonna say that I try not to get into it, because I think that's important. But with any coach and any team that we've been across, I don't really talk about it that much. That’s because I feel like my first priority is him being developed and him becoming the player that I think he could be. (NIL) is important because when he gets it, it's something that he deserves because he worked hard for, and it should happen. But I know every school is going about it differently. Michigan said some things about what they're doing and what they're trying to do as far as their players and stuff like that. I get it. And I know Miami is doing some things too. But everything's different. At the end of the day, I think you’ve still got to figure out what's best for you.”
“If everything is pretty much like… almost the same per se, then you’ve got to weigh other things. We just want to be in the best situation for him. I want him to feel like he's a priority, I want him to feel like he's gonna be a good fit, and I want him to feel like he's gonna be developed. I want him to feel like all the boxes are checked because I feel like we have all the boxes checked (for the schools).”
Anyone paying attention ought to know the southern schools have a more aggressive NIL pitch than Michigan. In a pure NIL battle with those schools, the Wolverines would lose. Period. And in the case of Brown, if his recruitment came down strictly to NIL, Miami would win going away. I don’t think there’s any way the Hurricanes would be out-spent for a hometown five-star.
No way. But I don’t think this one is shaping up as a pure NIL battle. Unfortunately for Michigan that’s looking like a blessing and a curse
A blessing because the Wolverines have done a good enough job checking all the other boxes… and that was no small undertaking in the aftermath of
Josh Gattis and Nate Crutchfield departing for Miami. But it’s also a curse because I think it has made room for another factor to be the differentiator.
Mom.
Mom is currently in Miami visiting. I know the Browns had a lengthy family meeting yesterday about Jalen’s recruitment and possibly bringing it to a close. I also know getting a commitment out of the way before she heads home this weekend is a major motivation for him. Now I’m getting the impression that the chance to be closer to mom could be the distinguishing characteristic.
Mom lives in Mississippi. Advantage LSU. That’s my OPINION.
To be clear, the Tigers are in a good spot on the merits.
He had a great visit to LSU, they have an excellent lineage of top-flight receivers, their NIL game is obviously strong, and his former AD at Gulliver Prep is on staff in Baton Rouge. But being closest to mom could be what puts them over the top.