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.
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.
