Tag: Aubrey Solomon

2018 Season Countdown: #21 Aubrey Solomon

Aubrey Solomon (#5, image via Freep)

Name: Aubrey Solomon
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 287 lbs.
High school: Leesburg (GA) Lee County
Position: Nose tackle
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #5
Last year: I ranked Solomon #26 and said he would be a backup nose tackle (LINK). He made 18 tackles and 2 tackles for loss.
TTB Rating: 89

Solomon had a long, winding path to Ann Arbor leading up to the 2017 season. A lot of times, it seems like odd recruitments lead to delayed – or destroyed – success. But for whatever reason, I thought Solomon would succeed pretty immediately at Michigan. If you look at Michigan’s nose tackles in recent years – Bryan Mone, Maurice Hurst, Ryan Glasgow, etc. – Solomon was more successful in his first year than any of them. In fact, you have to go back to Mike Martin in 2008 to find a nose tackle with a better freshman season (20 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 2 sacks). Martin had a very good college career before petering out in the NFL.

Solomon is expected to start here in 2018. He’s a bit of a wild card because he should see an uptick in grass time this season, even though he has just one season under his belt and we haven’t seen him make huge impacts on the game. I would like to rank the starting nose tackle higher, but Michigan has other options there – fifth year senior Bryan Mone, redshirt sophomore Michael Dwumfour, and redshirt freshman Donovan Jeter, to name a few. It would definitely be a blow to lose him, but I think Michigan could handle an injury or two on the defensive line.

Prediction: Starting nose tackle; 35 tackles, 2 sacks

2017 Season Countdown: #26 Aubrey Solomon

Aubrey Solomon

Name: Aubrey Solomon
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 288 lbs.
High school: Leesburg (GA) Lee County
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #5
Last year: Solomon was a senior in high school.
TTB Rating: 89

Solomon committed to Michigan in June of 2016 (LINK). And then he committed again in February of 2017 (LINK). Why did he have to commit to Michigan twice? Because in between, Michigan thanked him for attending the BBQ at the Big House that he didn’t attend, and they spelled his name wrong, which led to a decommitment (LINK). I can’t blame him for being miffed, but he was also recorded saying “f*** Michigan” by another player at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Hope seemed to dissipate at that point . . . until a couple days later, Michigan Crystal Balls started to pop up. The rest is history, and Michigan landed a 5-star and the #24 overall player in the country.

Solomon arrived on campus this summer, and initial reports were not glowing. He was rumored to be less physical than expected, despite the fact that he has to realize there’s an opportunity for immediate playing time behind nose tackle Bryan Mone. But here’s him defeating sophomore offensive guard Ben Bredeson:

@AubreySolomon91 Competing! pic.twitter.com/RDcW24lZ0r

— Aaron Bills (@AaronBDesigns) August 6, 2017

If he’s not quite powerful enough to be a standout as a freshman, he doesn’t seem too far off.

The Wolverines need a nose tackle to step up this year, now that Maurice Hurst, Jr. has moved to the 3-tech position and Ryan Glasgow is in the NFL. Sophomore Michael Dwumfour can play some nose, too, but it’s a position that’s pretty light beyond Mone unless guys start shifting around. I’ve said for a while that I think Solomon will be the #2 nose tackle, and while it might take him a bit of time to adjust, I think he has to fill that role this season. I think he will be pretty good by the second half of the year, if not earlier.

Prediction: Backup nose tackle

2017 Recruiting Grades: Defense

Aubrey Solomon (image via Scout)

Consider helping TTB by buying something via the Amazon ad below:

I posted the 2017 offensive recruiting grades last week (LINK), so here are my thoughts on the defensive side of the ball. Click on the player names below for their commitment posts.

DEFENSIVE END: B+
Commits (4): Deron Irving-Bey, Donovan Jeter, Corey Malone-Hatcher, Kwity Paye, Luiji Vilain
Decommits (0): N/A
Why? Michigan went after some elite rush ends (Jaelan Phillips, K’Lavon Chaisson, etc.) in this cycle, but none showed much interest. Instead, Michigan got home-stater Malone-Hatcher, Boston College decommit Paye, and Canada native Vilain as weakside end types. I thought Vilain improved significantly over the last couple years since moving from Ontario to Virginia. On the strong side, Michigan got Irving-Bey and Jeter, both of whom could end up as a 3-technique tackles. I don’t see dominant players here, but it is a solid group and they’ll get high-quality coaching.

read more

Aubrey Solomon, Wolverine . . . again

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.

read more

If I Had My Druthers . . . 2017 National Signing Day Eve

Starkville (MS) Starkville LB Willie Gay (image via Twitter)

Normally I do a position-by-position look when I do these “If I Had My Druthers” posts, but it’s coming down to crunch time and I don’t have the chance. So here’s a quick look at how I prefer the guys on Michigan’s short list:

read more