I am sure you are a great person, and I like you because you love the same college program as I, but I sure wish you would stop with this sometimes cringeworthy twists or reality to always try to revise history or a situation to put UT in the most favorable light possible.
I know this family well and to say he was "favoring" us is misleading at best, and just downright untruthful. He liked us, but we were never higher than #2 and ended up most likely #3 on his list towards the end. With that said, #1 is now behind him, and I am confident #2 is not going to be an attractive option at this point. I am hopeful he comes here, and I will go back to trying to work my family influence indirectly again...which as we have already seen I am clearly a failure at doing successfully.
With that said, if he goes elsewhere, then I am sure you will come up with some explanation of how we went in a different direction or the family (or "handlers", which he does not have by the way) wanted too much NIL or something...that will be a complete and utter shock to him and his family and anyone else directly involved.