I’m by no means an insider, but I am in Memphis and I can tell you the sentiment is if Penny can’t prove something soon, it’s time to move on. A lot of fans are upset the team plays no defense and the offense looks like 5 guys on a playground with no real plays.It might be worth noting, the article that was linked yesterday indicated that that $5mil per year is spread across multiple sports, including football and men's and women's basketball. But, your point still stands - if they want to prioritize him (and why wouldn't they?), it would seem that they could be pretty competitive if it came to a price war.
I don't know if anyone can speak to the health of the Memphis men's bball program, as I've heard a little that it might not be the healthiest - I thought I saw some people express some concern when Dain committed there. Our best hope might be that David Jones wants out of there because of that, and maybe we can use his connection with OA along with some serious NIL money to get him.
Someone did ask why they didn’t make the NIT. Penny and the administration chose to turn down the invite as a self imposed penalty for Malcolm Dandridge’s eligibility issues. Source: my company donates enough money to the university that we have a handler.