The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1083898
66 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019 BY AUSTIN FOX Michigan has had tremendous success recruiting Southeast- ern Florida in recent years, pulling notable players such as for- mer linebacker Devin Bush Jr., rising-senior safety Josh Metellus and rising-redshirt ju- nior linebacker Devin Gil all out of Pem- broke Pines in 2016, to go along with rising- senior linebacker Josh Uche out of Miami that same year. Th e Maize an d Blue also landed Fort L a u d e rd a l e ( F l a . ) St. Thomas Aquinas three-star linebacker Anthony Solomon in the 2019 class, thanks to a little help from the aforementioned Floridians. "I actually grew up with Bush, Me- tellus, Gil and Uche, and have known them since little league," Solomon re- vealed at the Under Armor All-Amer- ica Game in Orlando in late December. "I look at them as older brothers, and Michigan has always been in my heart because of them." Solomon had actually been commit- ted to the nearby Miami Hurricanes (just 28.9 miles from his hometown of Fort Lauderdale) from April 4, 2018, until Dec. 16, 2018, which was the same day he publicly announced he'd be attending Michigan. It was a difficult decision, but Sol- omon relied on his fellow Sunshine State Wolverines for help. "I was contacting Josh and Devin [Bush] a whole two months before I flipped to Michigan," he revealed. "They kept telling me to do whatever was best for me, and wanted to make sure I made the best decision for my- self. Those guys are like family to me, and I knew they wouldn't steer me in the wrong direction. "In the end, I just felt better off at Michigan. Something about U-M was tugging at my heart, and I just had to follow it. Everybody down here in Florida is for the local schools, so a lot of people weren't too happy when I flipped. Those closest to me were, though, and that's all that matters. "People in this area can get cruel, which is why some kids want to leave home. There's always going to be backlash and I've ac- tually dealt with a lot worse before — hav- ing a few people mad at me didn't really bother me." Solomon will head north to Ann Arbor in June, and admitted he has anxiously awaited that moment for quite some time. "I've been ready to head up there since Coach [Don] Brown and I had our first conversation," the 6-1, 200-pounder noted of the U-M de- fensive coordinator. "Our personalities clicked right off the bat. He's a really good people person and a genuine man, so that made it easy to take a lik- ing to him. "He also told me I'll be playing the viper position at Michigan, and com- pared me to [rising-senior] Khaleke Hudson and [former U-M viper] Jabrill Peppers. I've watched those guys play, and have tried to study their tape and emulate their games. They're both great players and I want to match the inten- sity they play with, because I'm also a fast linebacker who's good in coverage. "When I hit someone, I peel right through their body." ❏ Anthony Solomon Flips To Join Fellow Floridians At U-M STATISTICS Year Tackles TFL Sacks FR 2018 63 7 3 3 2017 77 1 2 1 2016 39 0 0 1 HONORS • 2018 USA Today All-State first-team. • Earned first-team All-Broward County in 2018, and was an honorable mention choice for 8A-6A as a junior. RECRUITMENT • Committed to U-M on Dec. 16, 2018. • Was originally committed to Miami (Fla.) from April 4- Dec. 16, 2018. • Also had offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida and Florida State, among others. • Recruited by defensive coordinator Don Brown. DID YOU KNOW? • Played in the Under Armour All- American Game, where he finished with two tackles. THEY SAID IT • Rivals.com Florida recruiting ana- lyst Rob Cassidy: "I think he was going to use a redshirt year no matter where he landed because of his build. He does have a nice frame and long arms, so it's just about packing on weight. "I'll be interested to see what he de- velops into because he's got a different problem than Devin Bush Jr. when he was coming out of high school — Bush was much thicker but didn't have the height, where Solomon has the length and the height but needs to add thick- ness." • Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst Adam Friedman: "We really liked his range and quickness [at the Under Armour All-American Game]. Plus, he has a frame that can handle a lot more weight." ANTHONY SOLOMON LINEBACKER 6-1 • 200 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS H.S. FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 25* 62 ✪ ✪ ✪ 445 30^ 42 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 81 7^ 11 * Ranked as an inside linebacker ; ^ ranked as an outside linebacker 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 2019 Projection The linebacker position should still be pretty well stocked by the time Solomon arrives on campus, which will give him time to bulk up and learn the ins and outs of the position under Don Brown. He has the speed and versatility that could plug into several spots, and if it ends up be- ing at viper there are fewer potential bodies ahead of him on the depth chart — but there will likely be a few fellow 2019 signees to contend with. 66 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019 Solomon knows and grew up with the Wolverines from Southeastern Florida that signed with Michigan in 2016 — Devin Bush Jr., Josh Metellus, Devin Gil and Josh Uche. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM