Vols Wire
After waiting a long 249 days after transferring from Michigan to Tennessee, Aubrey Solomon has finally been cleared by the NCAA and is immediately eligible to play.
The news of Solomon being cleared was first reported by VolQuest’s Austin Price at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
BREAKING: Michigan transfer Aubrey Solomon has been granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA!!! ⬇️⬇️⬇️https://t.co/76mLIlkFyw
— Austin Price (@AustinPriceless) August 27, 2019
It was a long process for Solomon and it’s good to finally see the verdict come out on his eligibility.
David Ubben of The Athletic released an article soon after the news of Solomon being declared eligible, where he talked with his mom about the entire process and the “roller coaster of emotions” that went on throughout the entire process.
“It was a nauseating, roller coaster of emotions. My son was pulled every which way.”
Inside Aubrey Solomon and Tennessee’s effort to convince the NCAA to give him immediate eligibility for 2019. https://t.co/6NRUQoZ4yz
— David Ubben (@davidubben) August 28, 2019
Ubben went in-depth in this piece and gave a number of interesting quotes from his mom, Sabrina Caldwell. According to Caldwell, nobody from the NCAA or Tennessee asked for anything. In Ubben’s article, Caldwell said, “Nobody called me. Nobody asked for anything. Nothing. . .but there is truth to that the parents don’t have a seat at the table. I wanted a seat, but I didn’t know who to talk to to advocate for my son.”
This is interesting, considering the NCAA never once asked her for anything during the process at all. You would think that the NCAA would contact her to understand why her son might have left Michigan in the first place.
What this Means for the Vols
Solomon being cleared is huge for the Vols, especially for the defensive line. I wrote about the defensive line in a previous piece ranking the most important position groups for Tennessee football this season. In that piece, I ranked the defensive line so high at No. 2 because of the possibility of Solomon being cleared. I believe he will help bring veteran experience to a defensive line that needs someone to step up and take over.
The Vols took a huge hit a few weeks ago when Emmit Gooden suffered a season-ending knee injury. With the uncertainty of Solomon getting cleared as the season approached, the staff, as well as the fans, were interested in who would step up on the defensive line.
Now, the staff can take a deep breath, as Solomon can finally cut loose and dominate on the field. It’s good to see some good news come to the program after other recent developments. I’m sure that Solomon will have some built up steam after this long, drawn-out process, so I won’t be the least bit surprised if he has a big day on Saturday against Georgia State. While the two-deep depth chart released yesterday has a ton of “ORs” by the names of the defensive line, I believe we will see Solomon starting once Saturday rolls around.
Adding Solomon to the defensive line brings real game-time experience, which is something basically no one on the defensive line has. Solomon had a ton of hype surrounding him coming into college, as he was ranked a five-star recruit, and finished with 24 tackles in 18 games as a Wolverine.
I’m sure all of Vol Nation can’t wait for Saturday’s matchup against Georgia State, and with Solomon finally being cleared, it only adds to the excitement.
