Aubrey Solomon still undecided; Georgia makes his top five

Satellite camps give college football coaches a chance to see talent in an area and put players of high caliber on their short list.

One high-caliber player from Lee County, part of the 2017 recruiting class, is Aubrey Solomon.

But of the 100 or so players on the field Thursday evening, Solomon — a 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive lineman — sat in the shade. Dressed in a black Lee County athletic shirt and black shorts and with a towel over his head, Solomon did not join his teammates on the field to participate in the camp.

“This summe,r I won’t do any camps,” he said. “I don’t feel like I need to.”

And he’s probably right.

According to ESPN, he’s ranked ninth in the state, 30th in his region and fourth in his position. He’s also ranked 61st in the ESPN 300. As of now, the four-star recruit is undecided on his college choice, but he has options.

Solomon has narrowed his list of programs to five: Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Clemson and Ohio State. He said Alabama is atop the list while the other schools follow behind, in no particular order.

Making the final decision won’t be easy for Solomon. Actually, the whole process hasn’t been easy.

One of the toughest things for him is staying focused. In addition to his family and current head coach, former teammate Chris Barnes, who will be attending Georgia in the fall, has been a mentor for Solomon through the recruiting process.

“Chris, he’s gave me the pointers since day one,” he said. “What to do, what not to do, how much the attention can hurt, how much it can help. He’s just put me on the right path, and I’m just following his outline.”

Solomon appreciates having someone like Barnes to help him along the way. Solomon said Barnes is like an older brother, not just with helping him in the process but also developing him as a top prospect in his recruiting class.

Solomon said during in his freshman year that Barnes was one of the few players who believed in his potential and has helped him blossom to the player he is now. And it was Solomon’s junior year that he realized his own potential.

“Junior year it started to click, (all) the pieces started coming together and then I realized, ‘I can do this,’ ” Solomon said.

And he’s definitely excited about playing at the next level. But post college, Solomon’s mother has helped focus his mindset in the right direction.

Like all top prospects, the goal is to play at the professional level. And while that is a goal for Solomon, his mother wants him to remember the academic side of college, as well.

“That’s something my mom has pushed on me since I was a freshman, finish school, all four years,” he said. “If I’m blessed enough to go in the first round, maybe three years.”

Solomon said he chose the programs he did because he believes those schools would serve him best, 30 years down the road and in football. He plans to graduate with a degree involving sports. He mentioned that he wouldn’t mind focusing on sports medicine or being a nurse. But he hasn’t closed the door on playing professional football.

Solomon is waiting out when he wants to announce his decision on where he wants to go to school in the fall of 2017. He said he plans to make his decision on Oct. 21, his senior night at Lee County and one day after his 18th birthday.

“I’ll think about it that night, pray about it, talk to my mom, talk to my coaches and call the coach,” he said. “Really it’s what I’m feeling, what I feel will better me as a man.”

This story was originally published June 3, 2016 at 5:57 PM with the headline "Aubrey Solomon still undecided; Georgia makes his top five."