[Goose]

Harbaugh did it.

The OP has insights that I do not on these type of questions, but it would be helpful in this case if one issue was clarified. I think we all know that Harbaugh would make offers to recruits that he would not honor if it was "convenient". But, did Harbaugh actually "cut" players once they were on the team and somehow get them off the 85 player limit? I could easily imagine a few such things happening by "mutual consent", but I am unaware of that happening (unsurprisingly). I would expect that anybody who got "cut" that felt it was inappropriate/involuntary would have gone public about it, because there was no portal to easily preserve a football career in those years.

[Goose]

Harbaugh did it.

The OP has insights that I do not on these type of questions, but it would be helpful in this case if one issue was clarified. I think we all know that Harbaugh would make offers to recruits that he would not honor if it was "convenient". But, did Harbaugh actually "cut" players once they were on the team and somehow get them off the 85 player limit? I could easily imagine a few such things happening by "mutual consent", but I am unaware of that happening (unsurprisingly). I would expect that anybody who got "cut" that felt it was inappropriate/involuntary would have gone public about it, because there was no portal to easily preserve a football career in those years.