There is no need to dive into Northwestern’s academic or athletic background information, Solomon Vault knows all the relevant facts. Without ever broaching the question, the 2014 Athlete from Gaithersburg, Maryland dove headfirst into a brief rundown of the most important recent developments in Wildcat land.
“I like where the program’s headed athletically,” he said. “They have a great coach, there’s a new facility being built, they’re doing a better job of recruiting, they won their first bowl game in like 50 years. I was really impressed.”
His first visit to Evanston couldn’t have gone any better, to the point that Vault – who currently holds offers from Nebraska, Tennessee and Purdue, among others – went as far as to call Northwestern his top school right now.
"I'd have to say Northwestern is my favorite," he said.
It’s not just the football side of things that has Vault hooked; academically, Northwestern fits Vault’s criteria of an elite institution. And don’t worry, he’s got the all the facts covered here, too.
“They’re ranked 12th in U.S. News [official college rankings],” he said. “The academics are world class. It also has great connections to Chicago, which I definitely like.”
All but two schools are recruiting Vault at running back. The Wildcats plan to use him at wide receiver (Rutgers wants him at corner), which explains his meeting this past weekend with receivers coach Dennis Springer, and the detailed schematic breakdown of former star wideout Jeremy Ebert therein, a player Springer likened to Vault’s speed and big-play ability.
Only recently did Northwestern become a realistic possibility for Vault. He received a scholarship offer from superbacks coach Bob Heffner this March, but he acknowledged that an offer might have come earlier had Vault gotten his academics in line last December, when Heffner visited him at Gaithersburg, High School.
It was merely a small bump in the road, because Vault, and his similarly enthused parents (who joined him in Evanston this past weekend) has his offer, and has his priorities resolutely defined. Vault plans to focus on academics the rest of the spring before making any more official visits, but he offered that he hopes to return to Northwestern sometime before making a decision.
“I would love to come back,” he said.
With or without a return trip, Vault has no mixed feelings about the Wildcats: they’re on top of his list.