It’s obvious to anyone who’s paying attention that Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers are getting used this week.

But no one in Baton Rouge should be mad about it.

In fact, it’s probably a good thing.

2027 five-star wide receiver Monshun Sales is set to announce his commitment on Friday.

Alabama, Indiana, LSU, Ohio State, and Texas are Sales’ final five schools.

The intel, however, points to this battle really being between just Indiana and Texas.

“Despite some Texas buzz in the past few weeks, I’m leaning toward Indiana, a program that has been a perceived leader for Sales over the last few months,” said 247Sports national recruiting analyst Mike Roach. “The Hoosiers appear dialed in on keeping Sales close to home.”

“Unfortunately for LSU, Sales has gained significant traction with Texas, which is where he ended his summer,” added 247Sports’ Andre Champagne. “Although LSU made a strong impression, I’d expect this recruitment to come down to Indiana or Texas.”

According to Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong, Sales is “actively negotiating” with all five of his finalists as of Thursday.

“Into Thursday, the Sales camp continues to actively negotiate with all five teams until they finalize their process of advising Sales on his decision,” reported Wiltfong.

So even though this battle is heavily trending toward Indiana or Texas, Sales is continuing to negotiate with all of his finalists.

That suggests that some of the teams, including LSU, are being used for leverage to get the best deal possible. And while the Tigers would obviously like to have the five-star wide receiver, the next best thing to landing him is to drive the price up for Texas and Indiana.

That’s something we see in pro sports all the time, and it’s no surprise that the negotiation tactic has made its way to college football now.

LSU might as well stay in the fight as long as possible. The more money Texas or Indiana spends on Sales, the less they’ll have to spend on other top recruits.