Top College Football Recruit Makes It Clear He Can't Be 'Bought' With NIL Money As Texas A&M Tries To Lure Him Away From Oklahoma

It is not a secret how much money goes into college football, but David Stone is not focused on the dollar signs. He cannot be bought.

Stone, a four-star defensive tackle in the Class of 2024, has a long way to go in the recruiting process. The high school junior does not have to make a decision until December of 2023 or February of 2024.

David Stone's recruitment is heating up. (Image courtesy: IMG Academy)

Despite the lengthy timeline, his recruitment has received a lot of scrutiny of late.

In the current NIL of collegiate athletics, it is not legal for a college program or its boosters to offer money in exchange for a commitment. Pay-for-play is illegal.

However, there are legal workarounds. As a result, there are a lot of financial deals being signed over the table that often include some under-the-table funny business.

Money has always factored into recruiting, especially in college football, but that is the case now more than ever. One five-star quarterback, widely believed to be Tennessee commit Nico Iamaleava, signed a deal that is worth up to $8 million. NIL and its role in recruiting is not a secret.

NIL money is what makes David Stone's most recent statement so interesting.

He tweeted out on Wednesday night that NIL will not have a role in his decision and that he cannot be "bought."

This tweet came after a lot of chatter surrounding his decision in recent weeks. Stone, an Oklahoma City-native, is largely favored to end up back home at Oklahoma. Michigan State, Oregon, Oklahoma State, LSU and Florida are also in the larger mix, among others.

Recently, though, Texas A&M has been creeping up. The Aggies moved even further up Stone's list on Wednesday when five-star defensive lineman David Hicks made a somewhat surprising commitment and chose A&M over Oklahoma.

Hicks and Stone had talked in the past about the idea of playing in Norman together. And then the former committed to the Aggies, which left the latter shook.

David Stone has visited College Station on multiple occasions and Texas A&M has been in the mix since the beginning.

Despite the fact that the Aggies have been "in" on Stone for months now, his interest in playing for A&M has drawn a lot of speculation. The streets got to talking and — wrongfully — associated his recruitment with money, considering how much is being spent in College Station. Many people assume that whichever program offers Stone the most money will be where he ends up.

That is not the case. Stone wants to make that very clear. His decision will not come down to the amount of money being floated his way through NIL.