SALT LAKE CITY – Solomon Enis could have gone to almost any university in the country to play football after a stellar career as a prep star receiver at North Canyon High School in Phoenix.
There was Penn State, where his father, Curtis, had been an All-American two decades ago. His hometown school, Arizona State, wanted him badly as did most Pac-12 schools, including USC and Cal as did several SEC schools.
In the end, Enis chose the University of Utah, where he found a place with a family atmosphere he liked that wasn’t too far from home.
“ASU is a good program, but I just felt more comfortable with the coaches and the team and it was more of a family feel here,” he said. “It’s the right place for me to develop. It wasn’t too far from home, but I wanted to step out a little bit.”
This week, Enis will be going back home as the Utes take on Arizona State Saturday afternoon in what will be a key battle for both teams' South Division title hopes. He’ll have many friends and family members attending the showdown in Sun Devil Stadium, where he went to numerous games growing up.
I’m very excited. My friends and family back home have been there since day one, so playing on a big stage in front of them where I used to watch games is going to be fun. – Utah freshman receiver and Phoenix native Solomon Enis on playing at ASU
After a few weeks getting his feet wet, Enis has worked his way through a talented bunch of young receivers to become a starter midway through his true freshman season at the U.
The 6-foot-4, 195-pounder caught his first touchdown pass two weeks ago against USC, a 27-yard reception from Tyler Huntley where he used his superior height to grab a pass over a Trojan defender in the end zone.
His stats aren’t all that impressive with six catches on the season for 85 yards, but where he has really been valuable to the Utes has been his ability to block, something fans don’t notice, but coaches certainly do.
“He’s is an exceptional blocker,” said Ute coach Kyle Whittingham. “To play receiver here, you need to play when the ball is not in your hands and that’s blocking. Our receivers take that very seriously and know if they don’t block, they’re not going to be on the field. That’s something Solo is exceptional at as well as being an excellent receiver.”
Enis said his penchant for blocking began before he ever came to Utah.
“I take pride in it,” he said. “In high school, players weren’t taking the time to go 100 percent blocking and were taking off plays, so I take a lot of pride in showing I can block these D-linemen and D-ends. If I want to be on the field especially as a freshman, it’s harder to keep that role, so I’ve got to go 100 percent.”
When he was younger, Enis started off playing running back like his father, but that changed as he got older.
“I was actually going to play running back at first, but I got too tall so I had to play receiver,” he said. Now that he’s four inches taller than his dad, Solomon jokes, “I pick on him all the time because he’s shorter than me.”
Curtis Enis played at Penn State from 1995-97 and was drafted No. 5 overall by the Chicago Bears. However, he suffered a serious knee injury his rookie season and played just three seasons in the NFL before retiring.
“I considered it very highly since my dad went there, but I felt Utah was the place for me,” he said.
As for this weekend, Enis is trying his best to remember it’s a “work trip” as he gets a chance to see his family and friends. He knows he’ll be in Arizona for less than 48 hours and then it’s back to work for three more regular-season games and perhaps on to bigger things for the 16th-ranked Utes.
“I’m very excited,” he said. “My friends and family back home have been there since day one, so playing on a big stage in front of them where I used to watch games is going to be fun.”