On Tuesday, it was reported that Michigan defensive line transfer Aubrey Solomon had been granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA to play for the Vols in 2019. On Wednesday, the University of Tennessee officially confirmed the news.
Via a release, Tennessee officially announced that Solomon’s waiver to the NCAA for immediate eligibility for the 2019 season had been granted. Solomon will have two years of eligibility with the Vols, beginning this fall when Tennessee kicks off the 2019 season against Georgia State.
For Solomon, the announcement signals the end of a wait that lasted over eight months.
“I’m beyond excited to be playing football this season,” Solomon said via a release. “I can’t wait to suit up with my brothers. I want to thank my mom, Coach Pruitt, Coach (Tracy) Rocker and the Tennessee administration and compliance staff for helping me throughout this process.
“I’m ready to roll. Go Vols.”
Solomon announced his transfer to Tennessee in December after spending two years with Michigan. Coming out of high school, Solomon was rated as a five-star by the 247Sports Composite rankings and was the No. 23 overall prospect in the 2017 class. He was the No. 2 defensive tackle and No. 2 player in the state of Georgia. He signed with Michigan and played right away for the Wolverines.
At Michigan, the former five-star prospect appeared in all 13 games for the Wolverines as a true freshman. He totaled 18 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss in his first year on campus. Solomon totaled just six tackles in six games as a sophomore as injuries hampered him.
In an interview with David Ubben of The Athletic, Solomon’s mother, Sabrina Caldwell, said Solomon actually wanted to transfer away from Michigan after the first year, but he stuck around for another season.
But by December of 2018, it became clear it was time for Solomon to move on.
“He just said, ‘Mom, I’m ready to go,’” Caldwell told Ubben. “I said, ‘I’m behind you.’ And that was that.”
Now, Solomon has a chance for a fresh start at Tennessee, and he gets a chance to do that in his first year wearing the orange and white.
Solomon isn’t the only one excited, though. Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt is happy to have the former five-star in the rotation along the defensive line, the unit with the most question marks on Tennessee’s roster.
“We found out yesterday that Aubrey Solomon will be eligible to play for us this year,” Pruitt said in a release. “I’m excited for Aubrey and his family. He’s a great person. I know this has been tough for him kind of waiting on this the last six or seven months here. He’s stayed the course, done really well in school. I’m glad he’s getting an opportunity to play.”
Tennessee begins their 2019 season on Saturday, August 31st when they host Georgia State. Kick-off is set for 3:30 Eastern. And Aubrey Solomon will be on the field when the Vols are on defense, just like he and Vol fans had hoped.
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Let’s rock….