I think it's all of the above, and probably not even that intentionally. Media outlets have the incentive to create horserace narratives, regardless of the underlying reality. They also have preexisting explicit and implicit biases that will slant their coverage to their preferred outcome. And, of course, lots of them are followers who will cover DeSantis for no other reason than response to induced demand. It all adds up to a manufactured DeSantis hype train that will, barring some unforeseen circumstances, chug along until it's clear he isn't going to win, at which point the narrative will shift to Trump vs Biden. Rinse repeat.