TIM MORSE: Aubrey Solomon needs to take his time

If you paid attention to the national news, more specifically, college football recruiting news this week, you probably couldn’t help but notice Lee County defensive line standout Aubrey Solomon’s decommitment from the University of Michigan.

Like I do for many stories posted on ESPN and 247sports.com, I headed straight for the comments section. And man, did Solomon take a beating.

Readers were bashing him left and right, calling him “a self-entitled athlete,” and “immature.”

The hoopla from Solomon’s decommitment stemmed from a mailing gaffe by Michigan officials. The senior, one of the nation’s top defensive line prospects, told 247Sports.com that he was mailed a letter thanking him for attending Michigan’s BBQ recruiting event. The thank you note also misspelled Solomon’s last name.

My last name has been misspelled throughout my career. I have been called Morris, Moore, Moores, hey you. … Doesn’t matter to me, I’ll answer to any of them. Solomon, like myself, told 247sports.com that misspelling his name wasn’t that big of a deal.

It happens.

But if you were a sought-after recruit like college football coaches tell these 16-, 17- and 18-year-old athletes, wouldn’t you think they could get something like this right?

Lord knows, if they can’t get something like sending a thank you note for a barbecue that Solomon didn’t attend right, makes you wonder if they can get the big projects right, like scheduling the right classes for an athlete or making sure all the intangibles are covered for a road game.

If you’ve met Solomon, you know he is one of the most mild-mannered, respectful players in the game. That is until the lights come on.

Several commenters stated that Solomon used the mailing gaffe as a way to back out of his recruitment. If he did, so what? When you were 17 and 18, did you do something on an impulse, then later realize that it was wrong and spend several days or weeks trying to reverse the choice you made that wasn’t necessarily the right one?

Before you sling mud at me, none of these stories that surfaced this week addressed the dirty, cut-throat business called college football recruiting. I have covered enough college football during my career to see that recruiters will tell these kids exactly what they want to hear, anything to get them to sign with their school on National Signing Day.

You can promise the world, but as we all know, the world doesn’t always come.

There are many kids who are spoiled, entitled prima donas who simply enjoy their few weeks of fame, then fade into obscurity when the real hard work begins.

Solomon isn’t one of them.

He tweeted, “Recruitment is a funny thing, you can easily get caught up in the moment and feel that everyone knows who you are. With that being said I am going to be re-opening my recruitment, to give the opportunity for those recruiters to not only get it right but to get to know me. Academically, you cannot go wrong with Michigan, but this go-around I will make my decision with my mother in the drivers seat. I love everything about Michigan and its coaching staff and I still plan on taking my official visit with you. Go Blue!!”

Published reports by his mother said she was surprised by her son’s decision to commit so quickly when he announced his decision back in June.

For the doubters, give this kid a break. He’s about to spend the next four or five years going through perhaps the biggest changes of his life. And he doesn’t need the media and recruiting sites dictating his every move.

My advice for Solomon would be to give it to God first, then continue to pray to make the right decision. If it sounds too good to be true, then in most cases, it probably is. Football is important … it is the path that has gotten you to this point. But never underestimate the quality of a college education.

As for everyone else, let’s leave the guy alone.