In one of the stranger recruitments of the 2019 cycle, St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) LB Anthony Solomon has flipped his commitment from Miami to Michigan, giving the Wolverines 25 commitments in total for the class with just three days to go before the early signing period.
Commitment
Scouting Report
Far from the biggest linebacker, Solomon will have a ways to go in the weight room and cafeteria in Ann Arbor. But if he can keep his speed and quickness with the necessary growth, he has the chance to be a really nice fit in Michigan’s defense at the Viper/outside linebacker position. He’s a really talented player that just hasn’t hit the elite size yet. He’s the type of linebacker that flies to the ball and shows a really nice ability to make open field tackles. His speed, tenacity are his best traits but can also be his weakness as he shows a tendency to over pursue at times. Going from sideline to sideline, blitzing off the edge, or covering tight ends and running backs are what he should excel at once he gets adjusted. Playing at one of the best high school programs in the country should help him get up to speed though I don’t project him to really make an impact on the field until at least year two or three.
Recruitment
Talk about a roller coaster of a recruitment. Solomon was one of the best bets to end up choosing Michigan early in the process. After making multiple trips to Ann Arbor in his junior year, including a well documented five-day visit, I put in my Crystal Ball prediction (February 2017) as it just looked like a matter of time until he committed to the Wolverines. Here’s what I had in my first 2019 class prediction on Solomon:
Outside of Rumler, Solomon is probably the most sure-fire bet to end up in this class. And it wouldn’t shock me in the least bit to see hi m become the first member and leader of this class. He’s let it be known multiple times that Michigan is his leader, though his multiple visits on his own dime up to Ann Arbor (which includes one 5 day trip) were pretty clear giveaways.
So, obviously things cooled between him and Michigan, and that’s when the in-state Hurricanes made their move. Solomon ended up committing to Miami in April 2018. That commitment looked as solid as possible too as interactions between Michigan and Solomon looked to be pretty much dry up. That was until news broke of contact starting to pick up between the two parties again in mid-November.
Clearly, that contact was pretty strong as just two days after the final game of the regular season, plenty of rumors came out about Solomon likely flipping to Michigan.
If things didn’t look good enough for Michigan as the Early Signing Period approached, Miami’s defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz, landed the Temple head coaching job. Just days after that, Solomon made his official visit to Michigan and followed through with the flip to the Wolverines.
- Height: 6’0”
- Weight: 185lbs
- Hometown (School): Fort Lauderdale, FL (St. Thomas Aquinas)
- Notable Offers: Miami, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State
- Rankings: Rivals (4*, #14 ILB) – 247Sports (3*, #34 OLB) – ESPN (4*, #83 overall)
- Composite Ranking: Four-star, #195 Overall, #11 OLB, #29 in Florida
Highlights
As for the Rest of the Class
Solomon is the 25th overall commitment, the third linebacker, and the third commit out of Florida. This class looks like it may finish between 27 and 30 spots in total. With the regular season over, the staff will be on the trail with in-home visits. The main targets to watch for the days up until the Early Signing Period include DE Zach Harrison, LB Kalen DeLoach, ATH Quavaris Crouch, and WR Cornelius Johnson.
Photo Credit: FootballHotbed.com
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