This is the ugly side of recruiting. Committed to the University of Michigan since 2013, 4-star offensive tackle prospect Erik Swenson reopened his recruitment after the school pulled his offer just two weeks before national signing day.
Swenson released a statement on Twitter, citing “unforeseen circumstances,” noting Michigan had pulled its offer and canceled his upcoming official visit.
He handled the blow with grace, however, choosing to take the high road rather than bash the school and high-profile head coach Jim Harbaugh.
— Erik Swenson (@erik_swenson77) January 20, 2016
The irony here is that only a half-a-year ago Swenson himself said he was sticking to the decision made two years prior despite former coach Brady Hoke being fired.
Speaking with MLive.com, he spoke words that surely make what Michigan has done to him sting smartly:
“You have to stick with your commitment, you committed to Michigan, you have to honor that,” Swenson said in June. “You made a commitment and you have to show you’re willing to honor it. There will be ups and downs at any place, and any place you go you’ll have to show you can push through them.”
Tremendous fortitude and wise guidance was behind the offensive lineman’s statement today. Many other players in his situation likely wouldn’t have thought twice about taking direct shots on social media.
Meanwhile, Harbaugh is going around the country on his wildly popular spend-the-night tour with high-profile recruits he’s trying to convince to decommit from their previous verbal pledges.
Irony exists, people. This is all the proof we need to confirm it.
Another angle that could exist behind the curtain, so to speak, is that Harbaugh might may have received a silent commitment from a highly touted prospect.
There aren’t any reports connecting the Wolverines with uncommitted offensive tackles, so that seems like a logical, potential answer to the question, “Why would Michigan pull something like this?”