Perception matters. If Pope wants to run with the big dogs, he needs to break into the 5 star world at some point to prove that he can get it done at the highest level, going against the best recruiters in the world.
Downplaying that provides a nice emotional parachute, but it also denies the reality that Pope will have to start landing top 10 guys at some point if he wants to get it done at Kentucky. I get that BBN is providing some nice padding for Pope right now, but that shelf life will wear off soon and people will start analyzing his recruiting like they did with Tubby Smith.
Watch and see. That's how BBN works and will always work.