you can't get the absolute best players unless you're bending the rules, but this is wayyy over the top. is this what he did to get all those big names to Illinois?
If I remember correctly, they've been wanting to fire him but haven't had the cash for the buyout. Since letting a recruit drive your personal car is an obvious violation, especially since the kid got busted for OWI, my guess is that was all they needed to fire him and not have to pay the buyout.