For the past two weeks, the construction of Michigan's 2016 class has dominated the headlines of the college football world.
And quite frankly, it's been for the wrong reasons.
On Monday, 3-star defensive end Rashad Weaver became the fifth player to decommit from the Wolverines class in the past two weeks and the fourth to do so in the last seven days. Like 4-star offensive tackle Erik Swenson, Weaver's decommitment came publicly and with accusations that head coach Jim Harbaugh no longer had room for him in his upcoming class.
"After being committed for about [seven] months. And receiving little to no contact from staff. I was informed by coach Harbaugh that there is a 50/50 chance that he would or would not have room for me [on national signing day]," Weaver, a native of Cooper City, Florida, posted in a tweet. "So I was basically a plan B. And I know within myself I am not a plan B player."
Harbaugh's practices have drawn criticism from many and even earned an apparent—and since deleted—subtweet from Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio.
But lost in the discussion of whether pulling offers just weeks before national signing day is ethical or not is the fact that if Harbaugh is indeed guilty of what's been accused of, he's doing so to make room for more highly touted players.
With 24 players currently committed, the Wolverines lay claim to the nation's third-ranked class, trailing only LSU and Ohio State with a week to go until national signing day.
With the nation's No. 1 prospect, 5-star defensive tackle Rashan Gary, considered a Michigan lean, according to 247Sports' Crystal Ball projections, it's conceivable the Wolverines could wind up with the nation's top-ranked class for 2016.
But even if Michigan's class remains ranked behind the Buckeyes, there's a compelling case to be made that it's already the most impressive in the Big Ten.
Between landing his long-term answer at quarterback, winning key battles against rivals on the recruiting trail and, yes, replenishing his roster with superior talent, the Wolverines 2016 class is already everything the maize and blue faithful could have asked for in Harbaugh's first full recruiting cycle in Ann Arbor.
"It’s an amazing time right now, this recruiting process in January," Harbaugh told TMZ.com following an appearance at the State of the Union address earlier this month. "It’s great to be part of this month leading up to the signing day and the celebration of signing a scholarship."
While the chase for Gary, who is also being recruited heavily by Alabama, will attract the most attention in the next week, the pillar of Harbaugh's haul comes in the form of 4-star quarterback Brandon Peters. Already enrolled in Ann Arbor after having been committed to the Wolverines since last April, the Avon, Indiana, native could prove to be next in Harbaugh's already established legacy of developing highly touted signal-callers.
"He compared me to Andrew Luck," Peters told Bleacher Report's Tyler Donohue about Harbaugh following his commitment. "It's a similar situation to what he had at Stanford, with Luck being the first quarterback recruit he brought in [with a full cycle]. He thinks I'm a really good fit for him at Michigan like Luck was for him there."
With Peters serving as his first commitment for 2016, Harbaugh was just getting started, adding highly touted players such as 4-star offensive tackle Ben Bredeson and 4-star athlete Ahmir Mitchell to his class.
But the crown jewel of the Wolverines' 2016 cycle comes in the form of 4-star running back Kareem Walker, who had been committed to rival Ohio State since last January, before flipping his commitment in December and enrolling early in Ann Arbor.
Securing the services of Walker, a native of Wayne, New Jersey, with just one season at Michigan under his belt, Harbaugh proved that he's already capable of going head-to-head with Urban Meyer on the recruiting trail. Landing Gary would show the same when it comes to Nick Saban, solidifying Harbaugh's status as one of college football's elite recruiters just 13 months into his time on the job at his alma mater.
And even if Harbaugh doesn't secure a commitment from the 6'5", 293-pounder, maybe he belongs in that conversation anyways, given the makeup of his current class.
While the Wolverines' recent decommitments may have been controversial, there's no debating that Harbaugh has made the most of the newfound space. In recent weeks, Michigan has landed commitments from 4-star cornerback David Long, 4-star wideout Dylan Crawford, 3-star inside linebacker Elysee Mbem-Bosse, 3-star defensive end Josh Uche, 3-star guard Stephen Spanellis and 3-star defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour.
In addition to Gary, Harbaugh remains in the hunt for 4-star athlete Jordan Fuller and 4-star cornerback Lavert Hill leading up to national signing day.
As for his tactic of clearing space in his class, it's worth noting that Harbaugh is unable to publicly speak about unsigned prospects. In a tweet, however, he indicated that there's more to the stories than what's been made public—in a fashion in which only he's capable of.
How Harbaugh will explain himself come national signing day remains to be seen. But by then, it's a safe bet that "they" will be impressed with his 2016 class, regardless of how it came about.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
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