MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Normally, we pay little heed to articles using anonymous sources, for the cloak of secrecy seldom is as much a protection from taking the blame for telling a lie as it is for speaking the truth.

But there was an intriguing article on 247Sports by Zach Blostein, who spent five years covering Florida State and now handles recruiting on Noles247.

It is intriguing because it offers to take us behind the recruiting curtain to reveal what top athletes are really being offered to play at major colleges, something that clearly is soaring but whose true figures are shrouded in mystery, perhaps because they are often overstated and just as damaging but not quite as likely is they often could be far understated.

Blostein found a dozen Power 4 recruits, promised them anonymity, and asked them what their top offer was and whether they took that offer or not.

It was equally intriguing here because at the very bottom of the article it revealed 11 of the 12 school’s who made the top offers … Miami made three top offers, Florida State two, then with one each was Florida, Boston College, Nebraska, Indiana, Oklahoma and … yes, West Virginia.

From this one may deduce that the Mountaineers are finding ways to compete with the top schools, although the range of offers started on the bottom at $100,000, which may sound like a lot but six of the offers — half of them — were for $500,000 to approximately $1 million.

Was WVU the $100,000 bidder or the $1 million?

We’ll allow you to argue that out, but what this did say was that the numbers we’ve been hearing are real.

Players looking at WVU are certainly saying “There’s gold in them thar hills.”

But here’s the most interesting fact of all. Offering the top money did not guarantee getting the player.

Ten of the 12 players said they did not sign for the top offer, which I believe offers hope for the human race after all.

Now you probably are wondering why 10 turned down their top offer. Here’s a sampling of what they said:

Recruit No. 1, who’d turned down a $500,000 offer: “At the end of the day, just because you’re getting a certain amount of money, it’s like saying we’re going to play you and give you this certain amount of money. But at the same time, teams that want you to come earn it and show what you’re capable of, that’s the kind of team you want to go to. Instead of the teams that just throw money out there. (They’re) just less interested in you at the end of the day, just throwing money just for you to be there. It doesn’t work like that. So, I just picked a team that I was more comfortable with in the NIL process and recruiting me and making me better as a player and a person. That’s just how it was in my process.”

Recruit No. 2 turned down the $100,000 offer: “I didn’t choose the school, obviously. It wasn’t the money for me. For me, it was like more of an education thing and football. Mostly, it was how I fit perfectly in their system. They showed me clips of how I play in my system, how they run their defense and worked with me and how I would produce there. That will just get me closer to my goal of just going to the league. If I produce, and keep producing, they have no choice but to see me.”

Recruit No. 7 turned down $650,000: “I said this from day one, in my recruitment process. I’m a relationship guy. It’s not all about money. Yes, money is a factor, because I want to make my mom have the best life and my family all have a good life and set them up. I’m a relationship guy and money isn’t the biggest thing to me.”

Recruit No. 11 turned down $850,000: “I feel like it’s more about development and the coaching staff. Seeing like the longevity if they’re going to be there or not and not chasing the money. Me, I know I’m a high-time player. If I get developed right, I’m going to the NFL. So I’m chasing the longevity money.”

Recruit No. 12 turned down a $970,000 offer with $100,000 bonus if he starts: “I picked my school based on where I could see myself growing and developing into the best player I can be for the next three to four years. I don’t want to go somewhere just for the money and end up transferring and looking for somewhere else.”

It’s good to see there are more than dollar signs in the eyes of these beholders, although one suspects where the school they chose came close to matching the top offer.

As someone who, out of college, selected to work in Wilmington, Delaware, rather than Beaumont, Texas, because Wilmington was offering more money — $5 a week more — I can say I have absolutely no idea what it feels like to be offered $100,000 or a million dollars to go somewhere.

Of, for that matter, to go elsewhere.