Michigan Lost Their Third Recruit Of The Week Over A Thank You Note Gone Wrong

Thanks to the never-ending grind of the recruiting cycle, the sustained success of elite programs depends on how well their coaches can manage contrived relationships with a bunch of 17-year-olds. Because these teens are, well, teens, and because they’re frequently being chased by five-to-ten other programs, they flip all the time. Sometimes, it’s over a rude tweet from a former future teammate, or perhaps over a racist frat video. In the case of Aubrey Solomon and Jim Harbaugh, Michigan lost a prized recruit over some misplaced barbecue kindness.

Solomon is a four-star defensive tackle from Georgia, who was committed to playing for Michigan until yesterday, when he left the program because they sent him a thank you card for attending a barbecue that he did not go to, and for spelling his name wrong. 247 Sports spoke with him:

“A day or two ago, they sent my mom a card thanking us for going to the Michigan BBQ, but we never went,” Solomon said. “I do not know which recruit they were talking to, but it was not me. It was just a little heartbreaking, for me to supposedly be so high on their list, for them to confuse me with someone else. Plus they spelled both of my names wrong after I told them, but that was not the main issue. I guess they do not have tabs on me.”

He announced his that he was decommitting via a screencapped iPhone note, which is the preferred method of communication for these sorts of things.

In related usage of the Notes app, fellow four-star Michigan recruit Jalil Irvin announced that he too would be retracting his commitment (although his battery was more charged up, he released a shorter note).

Following the departure of Leonard Taylor yesterday (via, you guessed it, an iPhone note), Michigan and Harbaugh have already lost three recruits this week. It’s unclear whether or not Taylor and Irvin left the program because of barbecue falsehoods as well, and if you know anything, feel free to reach out. Just don’t spell [email protected] incorrectly, like Jim Harbaugh would.