Tag: Solomon Thomas

Signing day splash: LSU flips five-star offensive linemen from Florida State

LSU pulled off a big flip on signing day. taking a five-star offensive lineman from Florida State

LSU football pulled off a massive flip on National Signing Day, flipping five-star offensive lineman [autotag]Solomon Thomas[/autotag] from Florida State.

According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Thomas is the No. 24 overall prospect in the 2025 class. Thomas committed to Florida State in December of 2023, but after FSU offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Alex Atkins was let go, Thomas explored his options.

That led Thomas to Baton Rouge, where he’ll join Brad Davis’ offensive line group.

Thomas gives Davis another top-notch class in 2025, cementing Davis’ status as one of the top recruiters in the country.

Davis is a Baton Rouge native but has proven his worth as a national recruiter this cycle. Along with Thomas out of Florida, LSU crossed the state border to sign four-star OL Tyler Miller out of Mississippi and four-star OL Carius Curne out of Arkansas.

Curne has a chance to finish with five stars when On3 releases its final rankings update.

Thomas is a big get for LSU and Tigers fans will enjoy being on the right side of a flip after LSU’s class has taken hits in recent weeks.

With LSU guards Garrett Dellinger and Miles Frazier set to graduate, Thomas has a chance to compete for a starting spot right away.

Jets pass rusher ruled out early vs. the Cardinals

Jets pass rusher ruled out early vs. the Cardinals

The New York Jets will be without Solomon Thomas in Week 10 against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Jets have gone on to announce on Saturday that Thomas will not play on Sunday. Prior to that on Friday, Solomon was listed as “questionable” on New York’s injury report due to a knee problem:

In addition to Solomon, the Jets defense will be without linebacker CJ Mosley due to a neck injury. Defensive tackle Leki Fotu (knee) is also on injured reserve for a second time this season.

In nine games this season, Thomas has 16 total tackles and 2.5 sacks.

The Jets are 1.5-point favorites to beat the Cardinals on the road.

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Ohio State football player signs autograph for tattoo artist

Ohio State football player signs autograph for tattoo artist #GoBucks

At any other school, a player signing memorabilia for a tattoo artist wouldn’t be news. At Ohio State memorabilia and tattoo artists bring up horrific memories of Tattoogate and the 2010 season that was lost.

If you don’t remember, the 2010 season was vacated due to five Buckeyes selling their gold pants (back in the day when Ohio State players had them in bulk) and other memorabilia in exchange for tattoos. Mike Adams, Boom Herron, DeVier Posey, Terrelle Pryor and Solomon Thomas were the players suspended for a portion of the 2011 season, but this controversy would also lead to the exit of Jim Tressel.

Today freshman phenom, Jeremiah Smith is able to pose proudly with a tattoo artist and the jersey he signed. It should be mentioned that the artist had already purchased the jersey prior to the meeting.

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LSU football gearing up for crucial recruiting weekend

The Tigers are hosting quite a few blue-chippers this weekend.

LSU is already off to a strong start recruiting in the 2025 cycle, and things could be going even better depending on how this weekend plays out.

The Tigers are playing host to several big-time visitors, including multiple five-star prospects. The headliner is [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag], a top-10 recruit and the nation’s top defensive back.

In addition to Pickett, five-star receivers [autotag]Kaliq Lockett[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaime Ffrench[/autotag] will be in town. The latter was previously committed to Alabama but backed off his pledge following Nick Saban’s retirement.

Rounding out the list are five-star cornerback [autotag]Dorian Brew[/autotag], five-star offensive lineman [autotag]Solomon Thomas[/autotag] — the top interior lineman in the nation who is currently committed to Florida State — and four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Zion Williams[/autotag] round out the list.

LSU already has a class that ranks in the top five nationally (fifth per 247Sports and second per On3). But if it can keep its current crop of commits in place and add a few more blue-chippers, it has the chance to be a truly special class.

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Florida getting 5-star FSU OL commit back on campus for visit

Five-star offensive lineman Solomon Thomas is currently committed to Florida State, but the Florida Gators will get him on campus next month.

Florida’s push to flip Raines (Jacksonville) offensive lineman [autotag]Solomon Thomas[/autotag] from Florida State isn’t slowing down any time soon, and the Gators plan to host the elite in-state recruit on yet another unofficial visit, according to 247Sports.

After an extended visit in January, Thomas will return to Florida on April 5-6 to see the Gators in their second spring scrimmage. The visit will give him a better feel for the coaching he’d get in Gainesville.

Thomas is close with the offensive line coach at Florida State, which is a lot to overcome after a verbal commitment is out. Still, he’s keeping his options open, visiting South Carolina, LSU and Miami over the spring. The Tigers and Hurricanes have been named along with Florida as the teams pushing the hardest to flip him.

Completing the flip here will take some work, but it isn’t out of the question. Florida has struggled to secure a commitment from elite offensive line recruits over the better half of the last decade. Stealing one from a team on the schedule each season would be a massive win for Billy Napier’s recruiting staff.

Florida has five players under verbal commitment from the class of 2025 at publishing time, including a pair of offensive linemen — four-star interior lineman Peyton Joseph and three-star tackler Enoch Wangoy.

Thomas is ranked No. 13 on the 247Sports composite and is No. 1 among interior offensive linemen in the class of 2025. He’s also considered the second-best player in the class to come out of Florida, regardless of position.

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LSU to host 5-star Florida State OL commit Solomon Thomas this weekend

Solomon Thomas is the top interior offensive lineman in the 2025 class.

LSU already has the No. 1 class in the 2025 cycle at the moment, and it could get even better if it can pull off a colossal flip this weekend.

The Tigers are hosting five-star Florida State offensive tackle commit [autotag]Solomon Thomas[/autotag], as was first reported by Tom Loy of 247Sports. Thomas has also locked in upcoming visits with in-state programs Florida and Miami.

The Raines (Jacksonville, Fla.) prospect ranks as the No. 1 interior offensive line prospect in the nation and No. 2 player in the state of Florida. The 247Sports Composite Rankings slot him as the No. 13 overall player nationally.

He received an offer from LSU in September but pledged to the Seminoles in December. Still, he’s doing his due diligence and continues to take visits.

LSU added a commitment from blue-chip interior offensive lineman Tyler Miller a few days ago, and now it’s looking to continue to bulk up its future offensive line recruiting.

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Jets re-signing defensive lineman Solomon Thomas

Jets re-signing defensive lineman Solomon Thomas

The Jets are bringing back defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, according to SNY’s Connor Hughes.

Thomas has been a nice rotational defensive lineman for the Jets over the last two seasons. He has totaled 57 tackles over two seasons with the Jets while appearing in all 34 games and is coming off a season in which he posted a career-high five sacks. His previous was 3.5 in 2021 with the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Jets have added three defensive linemen this free agency period, brining in Javon Kinlaw and Leki Fotu and have now brought back Thomas, who can play both inside and outside. The Jets also have Tanzel Smart, Bruce Hector, Marquiss Spencer and Manny Jones inside.

2025 will be his third season with the Jets and 8th in the NFL. He was the 3rd overall pick in the 2017 draft after the San Francisco 49ers traded down from No. 3 to No. 2 (Bears moving up for Mitch Trubisky). He played four seasons in San Francisco before joining the Raiders in 2021 and then the Jets in 2022.

Not only is Thomas a presence on the field, he is a presence off the field as well. Thomas has been the Jets’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in both of his two seasons with the team for his work in his foundation, The Defensive Line. A leader in the locker room, Thomas is quietly a key re-signing for the Jets.

Contract details for new Jets defensive tackle Leki Fotu

Some early contract numbers for new Jets defensive tackle Leki Fotu.

The Jets have reportedly signed free agent defensive tackle Leki Fotu, formerly of the Arizona Cardinals. It didn’t take long to get some numbers on the contract for the newest member of Gang Green.

Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the deal is worth a base of $2.5 million that has upside that can bring the total value to $4 million.

For comparison, Solomon Thomas signed a one-year deal last season worth a base of $2.25 million that could have maxed out at $4.75 million.

Could the signing of Fotu mean Thomas won’t be re-signed? We’ll see. Maybe Al Woods doesn’t return either. Quinton Jefferson feels like a 50/50 shot. The Jets could always draft the position as well now that they have six picks on Day 3.

Cowboys Free Agency Targets: 8 defenders who played for Zimmer, staff

When coaches find new digs, they often bring in former players to help lead in the new system. Here are some fun ideas for the Cowboys to consider as the league year approaches. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys have a brand new defensive staff, and with that they will have the opportunity to try and shore up the one issue the unit had in 2023; variance. The Dallas Cowboys had a ton of great performances under Dan Quinn over the last three seasons. Twice the led the NFL in turnovers and two different defensive backs had all-time great NFL seasons under Quinn. Trevon Diggs had the most interceptions in a single season in over 40 years in 2011 and DaRon Bland set the all-time Pick-6 record in 2023. But there were enough performances where the defense didn’t show up, most notably the wild-card loss to the upstart Green Bay Packers, that showed the unit was not all it was cracked up to be.

Now, Mike Zimmer is in charge and while the front office may not rain down on him with draft picks to improve his unit in Year 1, there’s probably a sizable free agent haul awaiting him and his new staff. Often times, coaches like to bring in players who are familiar with their systems and who they know they can trust as bridges to the other veterans they are inheriting.

Zimmer worked for Cincinnati as their DC from 2008 through 2013 and was the head coach of Minnesota from 2014 through 2021. Between his former players and those who suited up for new DL coach Jeff Zgonina (Washington 2020-2023, San Francisco 2017-2018) or run-defense coordinator Paul Guenther (Cincinnati DC 2014-2017, Oakland LB coach 2018-2020) there are a handful of current free agents who might be interested in reunions.

Here are the six names, and where they rank on PFF’s list of top 200 free agents heading into 2024. In addition, there are two players who are currently under contract but could be released before the new league year kicks in who would be under consideration.

Florida pushing to flip this FSU offensive line commit

Four-star offensive lineman Solomon Thomas committed to Florida State last month, but that doesn’t mean the Gators are done pursuing him.

Florida’s recruiting staff lost the race for blue-chip offensive lineman Solomon Thomas last month, when he committed to Florida State, but the Gators aren’t giving up just yet.

Thomas visited Florida in January, according to Swamp247, and are one of the few teams that are still pushing hard for him after the commitment.

“I would say most schools are still trying to push for me,” Thomas said to Swamp247. “But when you committed, it shows me who truly still wants me. I would say that is LSU, Miami, and UF.”

The expectation is for Thomas to make more visits throughout the spring and a few official visits later on in the year. Florida should get him on campus at least one more time, but no dates are in place right now.

Thomas is a consensus four-star recruit, ranked the highest by ESPN at No. 20 overall. He’s a top-50 overall recruit everywhere but On3, but the 247Sports composite, which considers all four services, puts him at No. 18 nationally and No. 1 among interior offensive linemen in the 2025 class.

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