That post and mine are aligned but are not exactly the same. I think the mwayne post adds to mine... or does mine add to mwayne's? Regardless, here's the post. Note that it was a response to someone else's post, not mine.
While I appreciate your viewpoint, I don't think NDWBB is financially competitive with several SEC and B10 schools, TCU and a few other schools. I guess it depends on what your definition is of not having a NIL money problem, but I believe they are more restricted than you do. Just last week, a Notre Dame-affiliated site pointed out the budget problems with Audi Crooks; that if they signed her, they would not have enough money left for any other transfers. How is that not a money problem? Other centers that ND would very much want (and need) this year that are in a similar price range to Crooks are signing elsewhere. Why did they end up with the transfers they got last year? To lay it all on the feet of academic restrictions is inaccurate and not telling the full story. They couldn't sign a number of them.
Responding to your numbered comments:
1) Hidalgo gets national deals for obvious reasons, and she deserves and earned that money. We can all agree on that. Additionally, in all likelihood, ND also has to pay her out of what little revenue sharing they receive of the $20.5 million allocation because she has that much leverage.
2) With regards to Bransford, I don't agree with ND could "easily match and keep her". That's why she said what she said in the locker room after the UConn game - if the money is right. Based on their budget, ND had a decision to make as to what to offer. Their analysis likely led them to offer an amount that Bransford didn't agree with, so she left. Her situation now is different than two years ago. She's now got her degree. I don't know her entire motivation but clearly money is part of it, and I think she'll find what she wants elsewhere.
To compare her situation to Kymora Johnson is apples/oranges. UVA has something that NDWBB doesn't at the moment - an individual (Alexis Ohanian, who is a founder of Reddit and a UVA grad) that is pouring in very large sums of money into their women's basketball program. Johnson looked around initially because her coach had been fired and the team was rudderless for a week. She visited South Carolina but they signed other players instead. Johnson returned because is a life-long UVA fan, met with the new coach and liked him, and is getting paid more money at UVA than any other school was offering.
3) I'm not sure what your overall point is, but the part about "if interest is high, money will not be an issue" has not been accurate over the past few recruiting or transfer cycles. One of the reasons they nearly got shut out in recruiting for two years is that they got outbid on players they wanted and didn't have a good plan B or C. This, and the problems they had in the portal last year is partly why Garrity is now involved with the planning and the point person with the agents.
There are some blanks that need to be filled in as to what comprises the WBB budget, but only ND knows. I can't imagine they're getting more than $1M of the revenue sharing, and Hidalgo is making good money in third party NIL, but the remaining external NIL amounts are where LSU, South Carolina, TCU, Tennessee, UCLA, USC, and others are separating themselves from ND. I read something recently from a TCU booster who had knowledge of their WBB NIL operation and it's not only very well-funded, but well-managed and organized. ND has that for football. John Brice reported a couple months ago that ND football is spending $30-35 million for its 2026 roster, when you combine the revenue sharing (which is almost all of the $20.5 million available) and external NIL agreements. Unfortunately, the administration hasn't shown the same level of commitment in creating/facilitating/producing the same external NIL opportunities for WBB.