Buying players is not a new development. The transfer portal is. 50 years ago teams were buying recruits; but then they stayed bought. The transfer portal changed that. Now the teams with the most money can not only buy the best recruits, they can now raid their peers for the best proven players.
As for the ROI for whoever puts up the money, think about this: If Patrick Mahomes did pay the $1,000,000 for Canady, he likely bought a Natty for his alma mater by donating about .005 of his current contract. That is like a guy making $100k donating $500.
I would certainly donate twice that % of my annual income if it would practically guarantee a Natty in ANY sport for UL. So would most of you. It is all a matter of perspective.
I hate the portal, and I really hate the poorly named NIL; but it isn't going away, and I can't be mad about someone else using both to the best of their ability.
It is even somewhat refreshing to see a school like Texas Tech land her instead of a school like OU, Texas or Alabama.