Solomon DeShields was in College Station, Tx. last week, and it wound up being an official visit to his future home.
DeShields committed to Texas A&M Monday morning, according to a report by On3 Sports’ Hayes Fawcett, over interest from Colorado, Iowa State, Memphis, Syracuse, Virginia and Washington.
DeShields entered the transfer portal just under a week ago, the day the spring window re-opened, and it quickly became clear that the Aggies were in hot pursuit. He will have seasons of eligibility remaining in the SEC.
He broke out as a starter in 2023, playing the Star linebacker in the system, and he recorded 58 tackles (27 solo), 8.0 tackles for loss, two sacks and a pass breakup in 12 games — basically 11 games after leaving the Wake Forest loss after the opening kickoff.
He recorded 594 defensive snaps in 2023, the most of any linebacker and fourth-most on the defense, and he graded out as one of the top-rated players on the defense. He was one of the more impactful pass rushers (14 pressures and 10 hurries) and better run defenders — 28 stops and just five missed tackles.
In four seasons at Pitt, redshirting in 2020, DeShields finishes with 85 tackles (40 solo), 13 tackles for loss, six sacks, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
Pitt is reasonably well equipped to deal with the loss of DeShields, considering Kyle Louis, Rasheem Biles, Braylan Lovelace and Jordan Bass are all returning (we assume) at outside linebacker. However, it’s still a tough blow for what was expected to be a defensive strength.
DeShields is the second former Pitt Panther to commit this spring, following Dayon Hayes’ commitment to Colorado Sunday, and it leaves quarterback Christian Veilleux and defensive end Antonio Camon still searching for new homes.
Congratulations on going from starter to depth guy.
Did Texas A&M Coaches watch the Syracuse game last year??
Do you mean the Tight End that ran the wildcat that no one could tackle??That game??
At the end of the day does the departure of DeShields really matter in terms of wins for Pitt? Does his presence help transform Pitt into a national power? For that matter do any of the previous transfers from this past seasons team tip the scales in Pitt’s favor? This includes Hayes. It appears that they are headed to average teams that have no better chance at success than Pitt. I think the transfer portal makes for interesting conversations but other than Addison none of Pitt’s transfers have found great success in their new programs. It could also be argued… Read more »
This lack of transfer success trend will probably change with Okunlola, and perhaps Hayes. I hate to say it since I’m no fan of narcissist galore, Deon Sanders. A lot of these players are being lied too, blinded by major $$ being waved in front of their faces. Also blinding themselves to taking the best path to get into the NFL. Many will sit the bench, or be used sparingly, resulting in killing their chances of being drafted by the Pros. Of course, fans (except for the top-10 biggest money teams) will suffer. College football is a shambles now while… Read more »
He’s now an Aggie I don’t wanna hear another thing about him
We won’t!
Texas A&M athletics is laying off a number of high-level administrators and staffers, athletic director Trev Alberts confirmed to TheBryan-College Station Eagle on Tuesday. He made clear the cuts are not related to paying the immense buyout for former head football coach Jimbo Fisher.
The downsizing resulted in a number of longtime employees being cut from the department roster. They include executive deputy athletics director and COO Justin Moore, deputy athletics director for external relations and business development Chris Park, associate athletics director, branding, creative and communications Tyler Pigg and associate athletics director for equipment and apparel Matt Watson, according to The Eagle.
Oops.
Good luck, Solomon. Probably not the best choice to transfer too.