Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown speaks on Aubrey Solomon’s commitment

Shortly after 2017 five-star defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon committed to Michigan, defensive coordinator Don Brown spoke with ESPNU on National Signing Day about the big news.

“We were on pins and needles,” Brown said. “It’s a process that he was going through, and his family had to work through. We found out when the world found out, so we were pretty excited.”

Michigan, led by coach Jim Harbaugh, have went down to the south and picked out J’Marick Woods (AL), Kurt Taylor (GA), and Solomon (GA). The Wolverines could find themselves with another athlete from the south in 2017 four-star wide receiver Nico Collins from Clay-Chalkville High School in Alabama.

“Obviously, Coach’s theme is we want to be national recruiters and we want to be on the national scene,” Brown said. “It just furthers that goal and that mission that he has for us. We were excited we were kind of crack into the south, and we’ve got two players from there so we’re excited.”

Brown said that Michigan is planning to play Solomon and Rashan Gary side-by-side in the 2017 season. The duo have been given the nickname “Thunder and Lightning” by the coaches in Ann Arbor.

“Yes, that’s our plan,” he said. “For two years, he’s been one of the top guys on the board inside. It will be nice to see him (Aubrey Solomon) and Rashan (Gary) play next to each other at times, so we’re very, very excited about it.

“We’re excited about our whole class. We think we’ve addressed a numbers of needs, but it was a nice gift today, that was for sure. We are excited, and I like the way he handled it as well; he talked about academics — and how important that was to his family — and the athletic piece. We think that’s what Michigan needs. … We’re excited, there’s no question … he’s going to be a great compliment in our four-down system.”