Harbaugh Comments on Erik Swenson Recruitment of Last Year
Interesting article written in the Chicago Tribune about the recruitment/decommitment of OT Eric Swenson from last year. In particular, Harbaugh finally is able to give everyone his side of the story of why Swenson's scholarship was pulled.
January 25th, 2017 at 1:03 PM ^
That actually was balanced and not just a hit piece on Harbaugh that generates a ton of traffic due to Michiga fan's desire to defend their own based on sloppy journalism and opposing fan's desire to take down Harbaugh and Michigan.
This piece tells the whole story, and it is pretty clear what occurred. Swenson could have better explained his injury and worked harder during his senior year, and Harbaugh should have better communicated that the scholarship was not set in stone, that they would honor it based on the new staff's evaluation of Swenson (preferrably in camp), and Swenson asked to be evaluated on his senior year.
I don't see any lies on either side. Just a clear miscommunication, which Harbaugh has taken ownership of and plans to do better today than yesterday, better tomorrow than today.
I actually don't mind that I gave the clicks to Greenstein on this one.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:02 PM ^
That's all.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:23 PM ^
He's all yours, Charlie.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:02 PM ^
This doesn't really clear anything up. There was relatively poor communication at the end, Harbuagh decided there wouldn't be a spot supposedly in December but Swenson wasn't told that specifically until Janaury. They also did a poor job with Weaver that year in terms of communicating. Hopefully they have learned to be clearer in those situations and hopefully Swenson's coach learned to read signals better.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:13 PM ^
Both sides had what they thought to be the situation and their intentions on the table for each other to see, and they failed to communicate it to each other. Swenson thought he was all set, probably knew he wasn't performing well and relied on his four star ranking to keep the offer on the table. Harbaugh expected him to continue to earn his place, which he clearly failed to do. There will always be a difference of opinion on who was truly at fault, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
I am glad that Harbaugh reached out to give his side, and as a grown man making upwards of 9 million diollars a year, I hope that he takes the lead in communication growing forward. I can accept that it is a one time mistake from him as long as it doesn't happen moving forward.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:32 PM ^
Sorry I meant that it didn't really provide more information. We already knew it was some combination of Swenson not performing well his senior year, which is a reasonable reason to pull a scholarship if you communicate well but that Harbuagh and Drevno probably could have done a better job communicating, especially in December.
It wasn't the worst thing in the world and it could have been handled better by both sides. For Michigan's side you just hope Harbuagh learns and is better at giving true ultimatums in the future about coming to camp or lose your scholarship, etc.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:40 PM ^
I think it got blown out of proportion because "HARBAUGH" and he won't make this mistake in the future. As long as that is the case, it is water under the bridge to me.
January 25th, 2017 at 1:05 PM ^
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January 25th, 2017 at 12:07 PM ^
If I'm gonna try to guess the truth based off all 3 accounts, I'm gonna guess Erik loafed it a bit assuming his spot was locked in since he was a commit - seems like multiple sources (including Harbaugh) have said he declined to camp in front of the staff. And maybe Swenson didn't even realize being 'processed' was a possibility or else he'd go. The head coach is all pissed but I'm not sure he knows what was discussed between Swenson and the staff - he just knows what Swenson (his player) says and what Harbaugh says
I'm gonna guess Harbaugh & Co. could've made a better effort to say to Swenson "Hey, we're not sure of your status so you need to come to this camp or you may get dropped" but at the same time, they don't want to spook a kid they may want to keep.
I'm not sure we'll know all the truthiness, but I'm going to guess Swenson isn't as 100% innocent as he and his coach would have us believe
January 25th, 2017 at 12:50 PM ^
If I tell coach that I am not camping and you can evaluate my senior film....why did he have an average year? And why get upset with Harbaugh when he does what you have asked him to do...... Sounds like he has learned a valuable lesson from this and has decided that hard work is the better option.
January 25th, 2017 at 1:29 PM ^
The article does a poor job of addressing Harbaugh's primary complaint: that the kid didn't want to camp for Michigan. He doesn't press the kid or the coach on whether or not that's true. It seems that's the crux of the argument. If the kid refused, I'd say Harbaugh is justified with the caveat that he should have told him sooner. If the kid was willing to come work out for the staff, then to me it looks like a processing.
Greenstein doesn't even ask the kid this directly, and only insinuates it with the coach by way of the "I told him he was lying" remarks.
January 25th, 2017 at 2:06 PM ^
Not the job of a journalist to address complaints but I get what you're trying to say about not asking directly.
January 25th, 2017 at 2:20 PM ^
That's a key point of the whole dispute. Did the staff ask Swenson to camp or not? And if so, did he accept or not? The answer to those two questions will shed a lot of light on what really happened
January 25th, 2017 at 2:25 PM ^
publically, especially when the other two parties haven't even addressed it.
Swenson didn't hold up his end of the bargain, so his offer was pulled. No different than a kid getting into Michigan based on their junior year grades and test scores and having their offer pulled when they slack off and get C's and D's senior year.
January 25th, 2017 at 2:28 PM ^
Those are addressed in the article. Did you read it? Harbaugh says he asked him to camp twice. Hatter is right.
January 25th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^
The author didn't ask the kid or the coach though. Allowing for the possibility that Harbaugh is lying, Greenstein needs to have asked that question to be certain.
If you take Harbaugh's comments at their face, then there is no dispute here for you: Harbaugh is in the right, though he should have told the kid sooner. I would like to have the kid and the coach say "I would have come anywhere for an evaluation, he's lying" or "It's true, I didn't want to be evaluated and told them to rely on my film."
But as I say above, circumstantial evidence is with Harbaugh: the kid didn't show at the camp in AA, didn't go the camp in Indy, and didn't go to AA with gym shorts on any available weekend to work out for the staff. The counter to this would be "they never asked me to come work out for them."
January 25th, 2017 at 4:24 PM ^
Yes, I read it, and I don't believe Swenson or his coach were asked about the camps and the lack of attendance. It's a glaring hole in the sob story
January 25th, 2017 at 4:10 PM ^
I don't mean address complaints in that sense. What I'm saying is that Harbaugh is claiming the offer was pulled because he needed to evaluate Swenson, and he wouldn't show up. If that's true, Harbaugh is completely in the right. It's entirely reasonable that a new coach would want to see a kid work out in person.
Harbaugh makes the claim that he requested that repeatedly. Does the kid or coach agree? That needs to have been asked, directly.
January 25th, 2017 at 5:25 PM ^
I can agree with that. I think that would have been more of a followup whereas the initial question was more of a "what happened?' I think what you're saying is definitely reasonable.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:05 PM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 12:06 PM ^
she said.... in the end everyone is happy.... but we are still short o-linemen....lol
January 25th, 2017 at 12:06 PM ^
a little different when you hear all sides of a story. if harbaugh was really the way his detractors painted him, he could never have been as succesfull as he has been. that hs coach sounds like he has a real ax to grind. i bet the conversation was a little different than how he recalled it with harbaugh.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:17 PM ^
I think it is his job to be protective of his kids first and foremost. Recruiting is a cut throat business, and 18 year olds do not always think/see clearly. I respect that he is still upset about how his player was treated. If he was a coach of my son, that is how I would expect him to act. Same as how Cass Tech shouldn't let Ohio State back into their school after what they did with Weber's RB coach.
January 25th, 2017 at 1:35 PM ^
I agree with all that. But did the coach know Michigan was asking him to camp and he was refusing? If he did GTFO. If he didn't, then he's missing the key part of the story, and he should have been asking Swenson after the fact if it was true. If he found out afterward it was true and the kid wouldn't camp, he's got to come out and absolve Harbaugh.
Unfortunately, given Greenstein, that key piece of info is of course missing.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:08 PM ^
after reading it this morning. Harbaugh learned from it and wants to be better. I think he will. Erik and Coach are still pissed about the whole thing.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:08 PM ^
Are there any specifics regarding how Swenson is "thriving?" I'd rather not click, and wonder if the connotations of "cast aside" and "thriving" are emphasized.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:17 PM ^
He will be competing for back-up tackle next season!
January 25th, 2017 at 3:29 PM ^
I also wonder just how good the kid will actually be. Competing for a back-up tackle spot as a redshirt freshman is nothing special, but could put him in line for future playing time as an upperclassman.
Will be interesting to watch if he pans out. Based on what I've heard about the kid, I'll say no, unless his raw talent overcomes other deficiencies.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:17 PM ^
by thriving it means hes having a good redshirt season and got to travel with the team to the sugar bowl.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:19 PM ^
The first two parts frame Harbaugh like a white guy in a Spike Lee movie. I don't know if he's thriving on the scout team, but Greenstein did his best to make it seem like Swenson is conquering the world.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:20 PM ^
Stated he performed well on the scout team this year and will be competing next year for a spot in the two-deep. I came away with the feeling "thriving" was more related to how much he is enjoying himself and his new teamates rather than any specific on-field accomplishments.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:22 PM ^
Well, all we know from the article is that he redshirted his freshman year and is competing to be the backup left tackle next year. All that means is that he's still on the team, and he's likely not the starter.
Looking at Oklahoma's depth chart from last year, both their starting tackles were sophomores, and their top two backups were a sophomore and a freshman. So unless Swenson progresses quickly and passes people, he probably won't see significant playing time for at least another year or two.
I'm glad he got a scholarship at a top P5 school and seems to be happy.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:22 PM ^
He lost 17 pounds, he made a friend, and his coaches say they think he'll be a good player.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:23 PM ^
and lost some weight. Might be the backup next year. #thriving
January 25th, 2017 at 12:09 PM ^
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January 25th, 2017 at 12:13 PM ^
I don't have a problem with that... but they should very explicitly say exactly that.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:11 PM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 12:12 PM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 12:14 PM ^
senior year, mostly from recovering from injury- and felt like his senior film despite being worse than So/Jr years stood for itself. Harbaugh hinted but did not directly communicate that the senior tape wasn't good enough to guarantee a spot and that if he could have come to a camp to be evaluated in person the offer might not have been pulled. HS Coach and Swenson still salty
January 25th, 2017 at 12:28 PM ^
people have mentioned injury, the HS coach says he was not injured at all. He said Harbaugh asked him if Swenson was hurt or had any nagging injuries, and he responded by saying the kid just needs to get stronger in the weight room. The big thing to me is he was asked to go to a couple different camps and he said no, I am a 4 star just evaluate my film.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:19 PM ^
If Swenson and his coach legitimately told Harbaugh to evaluate him from his senior tape, then they should not have been surprised at all when Swenson lost his scholarship. He looked terrible.
Also, if you're going to play for a guy like Harbaugh, a person known to have a crazy competitive streak, and you say "nah, I'm not coming to a camp so you can see me in person", you shouldn't feel secure in your commitment.
That being said, Harbaugh should have done a better job being blunt with Swenson and admits as much in the piece.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:20 PM ^
How severe was the labrum injury?
How successful was the surgery? When was the surgery?
Was the injury / recovery the reason he did not camp at UM or satelite camp in Indy? If not, what was the reason?
Was the injury / recovery responsible for the poor senior year performance? If not, what was responsible?
I still don't feel like we have the full story here.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:21 PM ^
You say no to attending two Michigan camps, pull the "I'm a 4 star, watch my senior tape" bit with Harbaugh and then put out a lackluster year and then you're surprised that Jim Freaking Harbaugh wouldn't guarantee your spot....oook buddy.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:23 PM ^
The kid was asked to attend multiple camps for evaluation by the new staff, didn't, and told Harbaugh to review his senior year tape which wasn't worthy of an offer. In other words, he TOLD Harbaugh in the spring and summer don't make me a priority until January when your season is over. January came and he wasn't near the top of the board.
Sure, the optics are bad and this will be used for negative recruiting, but it seems like this falls more on the kid than on Harbaugh/UM. Yes, Harbaugh should have basically said your offer from Hoke means nothing and the new staff needs to evaluate you, but it sounds like the kid also had numerous opportunities to impress (multiple camps, his senior tape, NOT telling Harbaugh how to evaluate him) and failed to do so. Good riddance, and best of luck at OU. Competitors only at UM thanks.
The HS coach's opinion is basically irrelevant because it sounds like he was out of the loop and is just protecting his kid - but there's another area where UM should improve - he should have been getting the same message (maybe he was?) as Swenson.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:23 PM ^
Teddy and Harbaugh:
January 25th, 2017 at 12:41 PM ^
Dick Fucking Whitman!!
January 25th, 2017 at 12:23 PM ^
I appreciate hearing the story from both sides. You could argue, the kid shoulda went to the camp and proved he still deserved the scholarship. You could argue that Harbaugh and Drevno should have treated Swenson better, communicated better etc.
People outside of Michigan supporters hate Harbaugh. I love Harbaugh. He's intense, he's a perfectionist and he gives us the best chance of being the best. Is he cocky? Yes. Is he crazy? Yes. Does he want to win? Hell yes. But I don't think he's a bad guy (I don't know him personally). I think he's a guy that loves Michigan and that's good enough for me.
I appreciated at the end that Harbaugh said that he needed to do better. Live and learn. Glad he's the coach of the best University in the world.
GO BLUE!!!
January 25th, 2017 at 12:34 PM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 1:05 PM ^
they just never actually got better. Successful leaders always take maximum accountability, as do many unsuccessful leaders.
"I need to do a better job" is coach speak 101 - unless of course you're Brian Kelly.
Then it's get purple in the face, yell at your players, and throw them under the bus in press conferences.
January 25th, 2017 at 12:26 PM ^
Greenstein is the same guy who wrote the article that basically apologized for the officiating in the Michigan-Ohio State game.
Just as we assumed all along, this was a case of failure to properly communicate intentions and Swenson caught in the crossfire. Glad to see things are working out for him at Oklahoma and that Harbaugh understands he and his staff must be more explicit in their messaging with recruits they are seeking and no longer seeking to sign.