Less than one year ago, Jim Harbaugh found himself in a precarious situation with regard to a scholarship he pulled from a long-committed high school prospect. For 2017 and beyond, it appears Harbaugh has made a move to clarify his position and protect the Michigan Wolverines from outside scorn moving forward.
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The change can be seen below, as current Michigan commit Kurt Taylor displayed his official scholarship offer letter on Twitter:
2016 offensive lineman Erik Swenson was an early commitment to Michigan a year ago, but when his stock dropped, Harbaugh unceremoniously pulled his scholarship offer, eventually sending Swenson to Oklahoma. Harbaugh addressed that in not-so-hidden fashion with the offer to Taylor (and others) this year, including the line of "We expect you to continue to strive for excellence as a student and as an athlete: this scholarship should serve as motivation towards continued growth, not an excuse to become complacent."
This inclusion jumps off the page as something of a demand for commits to continue their growth at the high school level, and also as a warning to those who don't. We will pull your offer and we warned you.
Not every major college football program could get away with a line like this in an offer letter, but with Harbaugh's track record as a recruiter and Michigan's overall brand (hello, Nike), the Wolverines likely won't be hurt by this. In fact, it should take the spotlight off Harbaugh and company in the event of a pulled offer and that was the entire goal.
