One of the top recruits in the Big Ten appears destined for a redshirt season

This former five-star player can't get on the field and looks to be headed for a redshirt in 2016.

There has been drama surrounding Kareem Walker for much of the time that the former five-star running back has spent on campus at Michigan, and as we gather more information, it looks like his true freshman campaign will never get off the ground. Walker was a top-50 recruit in the country before enrolling at Michigan, but because of academics, he has been absent from the team to this point and, on Monday, Jim Harbaugh made it clear that he is probably headed for a redshirt (h/t MLive.com):

"Kareem and I talked on Friday and it's going really well right now (for him), it's a positive. We'll see. Since it is going so well, I think that's something we'll continue to do. I think, probably, at this point he would redshirt this year.

"The main focus is (on his schoolwork). To see him excited about class, and he's doing well, we'll see how it goes."

The Wolverines are in a nice position in that they have a full stable of competent running backs to work with, making Walker's absence less noticeable from a national perspective. Still, landing Walker was a huge recruiting coup for Michigan's coaching staff, especially given the fact that he was previously committed to play for Urban Meyer and Ohio State.

Harbaugh is notorious for releasing limited information, but when even he is pointing toward a redshirt, it looks like we'll see Kareem Walker for 2017 and beyond.