You make a good point that Ben gets major credit for recruiting Evans, building the relationship, and gaining his trust. That was phenomenal.
But I'm not sure all of the blame for his withdrawal can be laid to big NIL money.
Evans liked Ben. He made his own decision to play for Coach Johnson at the University of Minnesota. It is very possible he would have held firm against family pressure if only we could have shown something with this team. Had we been competitive in more games, won a handful in conference play, maybe it would have been enough.
Ben showed he can recruit at the highest level. But he didn't coach a competitive team. Evan's loss is partly on Ben.