Fight for 4-Star RB Mike Weber Is the First Battle in Meyer vs. Harbaugh Rivalry

COLUMBUS, Ohio — With fewer than 48 hours to go until national signing day, Urban Meyer finds himself in a street fight.

For the Ohio State head coach, that's nothing new. But this year's opponent is. And it's one who Meyer should get used to facing.

Michigan's hiring of Jim Harbaugh in late December instantly restored credibility to a Wolverines program that's been lacking national relevance for the better part of the past seven years. The former San Francisco 49ers head coach may have arrived too late to completely save what is currently the nation's 74th-ranked recruiting class for 2015, but that hasn't stopped Harbaugh from already becoming a thorn in his new archrival's side.

That's been apparent in the recruitment of 4-star running back Mike Weber, who flipped his commitment from Michigan to the Buckeyes in the midst of the Wolverines' firing of Brady Hoke at the end of the 2014 season. The Harbaugh hiring seems to have reignited Weber's interest in Michigan, leaving Meyer in a battle to secure his national letter of intent on Wednesday.

Weber, for his part, has maintained that he's committed to the Buckeyes, recently telling David Goricki of The Detroit News that he was "solid on Ohio State." But Wolverines running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley has visited the Detroit Cass Tech product twice in the last month, and just last week, Harbaugh himself met with the nation's ninth-ranked running back, per Steve Lorenz of Wolverine247.

"I talked to Coach Harbaugh a few times and he's a real energized guy, a cool guy," Weber told Goricki. "I think he understands [why I'm going to Ohio State]. He just wanted to get to know me."

247Sports.com

The Buckeyes have countered with a pair of visits from assistant coach Kerry Coombs, the most recent of which came two days after Weber's reported meeting with Harbaugh. The U.S. Army All-American running back also took a trip to Columbus just a week ago, but his continued flirtation with the Wolverines should leave Ohio State concerned until it receives his actual letter of intent.

After all, Weber was at one point committed to Michigan, and Cass Tech has long served as a pipeline program for the Wolverines. Only recently have the Buckeyes been able to make their mark in the Motor City, landing 4-star cornerback Damon Webb from Cass Tech in 2014.

Ohio State is relatively set at running back, too, with Heisman front-runner Ezekiel Elliott returning for his junior season, Curtis Samuel only being a sophomore and the nation's No. 1 running back in 2016, Kareem Walker, already committed to Ohio State. For Meyer, however, there's always room for a player of Weber's caliber, who rushed for 2,268 yards and 29 touchdowns in his senior season.

Continuing to build a presence in Michigan would be an added benefit for the Buckeyes, too, as would keeping Weber away from their rival program. The Wolverines only currently lay claim to nine commits heading into signing day, but Harbaugh's first haul is slated to include a quintet of 4-star prospects in athlete Brian Cole, safety Tyree Kinnel, offensive tackle Grant Newsome and quarterbacks Alex Malzone and Zach Gentry.

With Harbaugh at the helm, Michigan shouldn't be down on the recruiting trail for long, which could be evident as soon as next year's national signing day. As Harbaugh, like Meyer, sets his sights on highly touted prospects throughout the country, the battle between the Buckeyes and Wolverines for Weber will be replicated throughout the upcoming year.

In fact, it already has been.

A look at the offer lists for both Ohio State and Michigan for their respective 2016 classes indicates that we should get used to seeing Meyer and Harbaugh going head-to-head on the recruiting trail. In addition to the aforementioned Walker, both schools have already extended offers to no fewer than 35 mutual prospects in the 2016 class alone.

It's too early to tell which of those players' recruitments will turn into off-field extensions of The Game, as Weber's has, but the sheer numbers certainly show a similarity in philosophies. It already seems likely the Buckeyes and Wolverines will cross paths in the next 12 months in the recruitments of 4-star running back Elijah Holyfield, 4-star receiver Justin Layne, 4-star tight end Luke Farrell, 5-star offensive tackle Ben Bredeson, 4-star defensive end Josh King and 5-star defensive tackle Rashan Gary—if they haven't already.

For now, however, Meyer and Harbaugh will focus on Weber, attempting to outdo each other in their first true matchup on the recruiting trail. Given Weber's standing commitment, Ohio State holds the apparent edge at the moment, which he explained to The Detroit News.

"I grew up a Michigan fan and it's always been a school I wanted to go to, play for, and that's why I made my decision to go there early," Weber said. "But when it went downhill and they lost Brady Hoke and didn't know who they would bring in, I committed to Ohio State. Then they hired Harbaugh, but I was pretty solid on Ohio State because I wanted to try something different."

Given Harbaugh's late start, his efforts with Weber may simply be too little, too late.

Next time, Ohio State might not be so fortunate.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Ohio State Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.