So here’s why I was initially wrong about Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas four-star inside linebacker Anthony Solomon and why I said that he definitely wouldn’t be part of Michigan’s class just a few weeks ago….
Last fall when I took my trip to Florida to see a bunch of prospects, one of my stops was at St. Thomas Aquinas. They obviously have a ton of players there so I was going in with the hope of talking to a key few. I checked with some people I trust to see who I should speak to and was specifically told not to bother with Solomon. So, I didn’t, and after that, didn’t view Solomon as a true target.
Of course, that was a long time ago and now I trust some different people. Some opinions obviously changed and Solomon once again became a take for the staff. Solomon had been committed to Miami since April but he’s always been really, really high on Michigan.
He committed to the Canes almost by default but the longer he was committed, the more out of place it felt. He’s a Florida kid, but, in his own words, he’s not the type who wants to be at “The U”. He decided to reach out to Don Brown a few weeks ago and pretty much said that he wanted to commit. Brown and the other defensive staffers and analysts broke down Solomon’s film and accepted the flip.
Brown’s contact with Solomon never completely stopped but the linebacker certainly seemed like a bit of an afterthought once he committed to Miami. Once Solomon reached out to Michigan and expressed heavy interest, things sped up really quickly and now he’s a part of the class.
I hope to get some more concrete information from Solomon himself about how he’ll be used at Michigan because his combination of size and speed is interesting. Can he play viper, WILL and/or SAM? Is he a MIKE because of his strengths and experience in the middle even though he’s on the small side? Time will tell but eventually, Al Washington and Brown will have a fast, new toy to work with.
Last fall when I took my trip to Florida to see a bunch of prospects, one of my stops was at St. Thomas Aquinas. They obviously have a ton of players there so I was going in with the hope of talking to a key few. I checked with some people I trust to see who I should speak to and was specifically told not to bother with Solomon. So, I didn’t, and after that, didn’t view Solomon as a true target.
Of course, that was a long time ago and now I trust some different people. Some opinions obviously changed and Solomon once again became a take for the staff. Solomon had been committed to Miami since April but he’s always been really, really high on Michigan.
He committed to the Canes almost by default but the longer he was committed, the more out of place it felt. He’s a Florida kid, but, in his own words, he’s not the type who wants to be at “The U”. He decided to reach out to Don Brown a few weeks ago and pretty much said that he wanted to commit. Brown and the other defensive staffers and analysts broke down Solomon’s film and accepted the flip.
Brown’s contact with Solomon never completely stopped but the linebacker certainly seemed like a bit of an afterthought once he committed to Miami. Once Solomon reached out to Michigan and expressed heavy interest, things sped up really quickly and now he’s a part of the class.
I hope to get some more concrete information from Solomon himself about how he’ll be used at Michigan because his combination of size and speed is interesting. Can he play viper, WILL and/or SAM? Is he a MIKE because of his strengths and experience in the middle even though he’s on the small side? Time will tell but eventually, Al Washington and Brown will have a fast, new toy to work with.
