They called him a traitor and much worse.
When coveted five-star running back Damien Harris retracted his commitment to Michigan last month, he found himself in the eye of the most modern type of storm.
On Twitter, a rabid fringe of fans messaged the Kentucky high school junior. Supporters of other suitors — including Ohio State — renewed their sales pitches while a megaphone-wielding minority of Michigan followers vented.
“Wonder who’s paying @Damien_D1Harris. Kids are a joke,” wrote a user who went by @BobbyW2.
A college-aged man from Monroe simply directed a string of expletives at Harris, including the recruit’s Twitter handle in the message to ensure it was seen by his target.
“Honestly, I was just upset at the time because he’s most likely going to go to OSU,” the man said in a message to a reporter before shutting down further questions.
For schools across the country, the backlash to the whims of a 16-year-old prospect represented an increasing nightmare.
Harris still considers Michigan his top school, but the response on Twitter to the decommitment left his high school coach in Berea, Ky., fuming. Jon Clark told the Lexington Herald-Leader, “A kid will never make a decision to go somewhere because of fans or the media. But kids will make a decision not to go places because of that.”