Aubrey Solomon (image via 247 Sports)
Leesburg (GA) Lee County nose tackle Aubrey Solomon committed to Michigan on Wednesday morning. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Alabama, Georgia, and USC, along with many others . . . including Miami?
Solomon is a 6’3″, 295 lb. prospect. He claims a 4.85 shuttle, a 355 lb. bench press, and a 515 lb. squat.
RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 84 grade, #5 DT, #63 overall
Rivals: 5-star, #2 DT, #31 overall
Scout: 5-star, #2 DT, #11 overall
247 Sports: 5-star, 98 grade, #3 DT, #30 overall
Hit the jump for more on Solomon’s commitment.
Solomon committed to Michigan in June of 2016 (LINK) and then decommitted (LINK) after Michigan sent him a letter thanking him for attending the BBQ at the Big House. The only problem was that he didn’t attend the BBQ. Oh, and they also spelled his name wrong. (In my experience, spelling is not the strong suit of football coaches, but it’s still kind of a significant mistake.) Many people immediately pegged him for Georgia, but Alabama and USC also made pushes. Everything seemed all but lost when he was recorded saying “f*** Michigan” on Periscope during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl week. But he immediately had a talk with the coaching staff where the air was cleared. He claimed Alabama had a big lead up until a couple days before National Signing Day, but that turned out not to be the case.
Solomon is a big body without a ton of bad weight. He reports being just under 300 lbs., but he will probably play over 300 lbs. and look just fine. A lot of that weight is in his lower body, where he has thick legs and a thick backside. He’s fairly quick off the ball, but more so, he has quick and heavy hands that let him make initial contact with centers. He does a good job of firing out low and hard, which helps him get leverage on interior linemen. He has good closing speed and tackles aggressively rather than just grabbing on and dragging runners down.
There are very few flaws in his game, which is why he’s ranked so highly. He’s not the quickest defensive tackle, and I think Michigan will probably reconfigure his stance a little bit. As an odd-front, two-gapping nose tackle in high school, his technique will have to alter a little bit to play more of a one-gap role in Michigan’s even fronts.
Overall, I expect Solomon to be a high-level contributor from early in his career. He’s more advanced than Bryan Mone, who played as a true freshman in 2014. He reminds me of former Michigan nose tackle Alan Branch, although Branch was a late bloomer as a defensive lineman and grew into being a nose tackle. Solomon is already there.
Solomon is a huge get from the state of Georgia. Michigan has had some success over the years in the Peach State, but Solomon is huge, if not the biggest pull during the current recruiting era. The Wolverines also have his 2018 teammate, Otis Reese, verbally committed. Michigan went after fullback/defensive end Tory Carter from Lee County, too, but Carter stuck to his LSU pledge.
TTB Rating: 94 (ratings explanation)
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TTB number?
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It’s at the bottom of the post – 94.
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Apologies, missed it.
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Excellent.
Solomon does have kind of an odd body. Perfect for a NT. Pretty good hands catching the football too.
How will his stance change?
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just based on quick viewing of the first minute or 2: better distribute his weight, re-work his feet as hes occasionally too narrow and with too much weight on his heels and theyll immediately change his left hand placement (as he often rests his left arm on his knee). nothing crazy, hes a great prospect and has the ability to play low
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I now think we’ll be a playoff caliber team in 2019. I feel very confident about all position on the team, except interior DL, and now I feel great.
Everyone can settle down now, J.C. feels good about this one.
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Curious why you said 2019 instead of 2018.
For me I think 2019 is the year I’d like to see us with the Alabama/OSU programs as “expects to be there”. I think 2018 lines up nicely for our first run at the playoff however. It all comes down to the OL figuring things out in 2017 to set up a dominant group for 2018. The defense should be fine by then.
As for 2017…..well, that’s the year where you’ll see erratic results because you’re rebuilding the OL, WR, and DB groups.
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Because 3 years of only good news is better than 2 years of only good news?
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Yep, in 2018 Speight will be a redshirt senior and if he gets beat out by a redshirt sophomore in Brandon Peters then all the better. Every position group will be talented with depth and experience. Starting that year, we should be legit playoff contenders regularly.
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Reason I think 2019 is going to be a championship caliber team is because we’re not losing a tremendous amount of talent this year or next. This year we’re losing (in order of most significant loss):
Cole
Hurst
McCray
Hill
——
Kugler
O’Korn
Johnson
Isaac
Poggi
Top 4 are definite starters. I could see a RB and Kugler move into a starting role as well. That’s 4-6 starters lost this year.
Next year we (probably) lose (in order of most significant loss):
Gary
Mone
Speight
Kinnel
Winovich
Bushell-Beatty
Bunting
Furbush
——
Watson
Perry (Is he still on the team?)
Higdon
Marshall
Ways
Harris
Wangler
I say probably because I think Newsome redshirts, and I think Gary departs early. That’s 8-10 starters lost. So between now and 2019 we’re losing 12-16 starers. Of those 12-16 starters lost, I think we’re really going to miss Gary, Cole, Hurst, McCray and Mone. 5 SIGNIFICANT contributors the next 2 seasons.
So because of that, I think 2019 is the year. Roster could be filled with 3rd year players or older:
Position: Potential Starter / (S)
Potential Backup / (S)
QB: Peters
McCaffrey
RB: Evans
Walker / Samuels
FB: Davis?
Mason?
WR: Crawford / McDoom / DPJ
Black / Collins / Martin
OL: Newsome / Bredeson / Ruiz / Onwenu / Filiaga
Ulizio / Stuber / Hall / Runyan / Spanellis
DL: Dwumfour / Solomon / Vilain / Jeter
Paea / Hudson / DIB / Kemp / CMH
LB: Anthony / Bush / Singleton / Mettelus
Ross / Uche / Mbem-Bosse
DB: Hill / Long / Hudson / Metellus
St-Juste / Thomas / Woods / JKP
I know, these players are going to be on the team this year and next. I understand that. But 3rd or 4th year in the system I think they’ll be rip-roaring ready to go. Our lines are heavily depleted right now. Freshmen/Sophomore contributors wont be NEEDED. They’ll play if they’re good enough.
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“we’re not losing a tremendous amount of talent this year or next”
Ah but for attrition and recruiting disappointments…
I am positive that similar exercises were done 3 years ago (here and/or elsewhere). Like the above none of the players were proven. Back then Ty Isaac, Shane Morris, Drake Harris and Kyle Kalis were all world recruits that projected to greatness. Just wait and see!
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Not all the players I mentioned are superstar recruits – some got playing time last year and I liked what I saw.
I agree, just because they’re solid recruits doesn’t translate to an all-star team. But what does translate, barring unprecedented attrition at a single position, is the depth. We had great depth this year. In three years we will have the necessary bodies in place. Being able to list 9 3rd year players on the DL above is significant to me. I could’ve listed 13, I left off Paye, S. Johnson, R. Jones, and R. Johnson.
Next year we’ll have 6 DL in at least their 3rd year. That is the point I was making with listing backups: there is depth and experience.
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You are of course entitled to your optimism and enthusiasm and really I have no interest in downplaying it.
But if you want to save yourself some disappointment take 40% of the 4 and 5 star recruits and toss them into the disappointment bin as busts or bench-warmers. Then grab maybe 4 or 5 guys who looked promising as freshman/sophomores and throw then into the NFL draft, transfer or injury/suspension bin. (e.g., Asiasi just this week!)
This isn’t being pessimistic it’s just realistic expectations.
Michigan always has depth when you look 2 or 3 years out and particularly so when they take huge classes. The reason you don’t have depth is attrition – which always happens, in ways no one can predict. 3 years ago we were saying Hoke had addressed the attrition issues and now we’re going to assume the same for Harbaugh?
There are a lot of reasons to think 2019 won’t be as good as 2018 beyond losing the proven players who will graduate like Speight. There are a whole bunch of positions that will lose the few semi-proven players they have.
2020 might be better than 2019 and whooo boy don’t get me and Jim S at Rivals started about 2021 and 2022.
My point is just that it is fanciful exercise. One I’ve undertaken myself many times, but also one that the last decade of Michigan football has disabused me of continuing.
I would add further that 1997 was supposed to be a bit of a rebuild year for Michigan but a bunch of freshman stepped up, seniors elevated their games, and good injury luck and some close wins and bam.
2017 is the year because the next year is always the year. We have Harbaugh, Brown, a veteran QB on the rise, a boatload of talent, and a favorable schedule to win the Big Ten. The time is now. If the secondary and OL questions can be addressed Michigan will have a shot at winning a big ten title and from there you never know…
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What a great signing day surprise. Should really free up the DL rotation to play the best players without worrying too much about positions.
Love the DL haul we got as a group. Would have been nice to get Tufele or Reitmeir too but all these big-body DTs (Hudson, Jeter, DIB, Paea) should give Mattison the ‘clay’ he needs to keep the DL playing at high level for years to come.
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I have a feeling that Paea will wind up as an OG or play both ways
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Given the haul at DT and the need at OG, I think it’s very likely that somebody ends up moving from DL to OL.
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Given that I agree that getting Tufele or Reitmier also would have been great, those numbers would have to come from somewhere. And to think OL and DB were yet a little light for a class this size already.
Were the DL prospects simply across the board just a little stronger than OL this year?
Same for WR vs DB? I expect as you do there will be some position changes TBD. Good thing the coaches looked for athletes that make this possible.
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Probably would have meant no Collins or Martin. Or maybe they process somebody else on DL. Depends on timing of things in this alternate universe.
Other than Collins & Black, I think the athleticism from our WRs translates well to DB. Nobody is talking about DPJ as a DB because he’s such a great WR, but if Collins and Black are both great WRs then you may entertain the idea of flipping him to safety. Oor maybe playing DPJ both ways as a CB in dime packages.
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Solomon’s senior film is some of the most impressive I’ve seen. Still can’t believe we got him.
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