Seeking consistency, Solomon Enis shares how the wide receiving room is shaping up
With just two weeks left in Utah’s Spring Camp, the program is continuing to get a better understanding of how the team looks, who the key contributors will be and which of the young guys are beginning to show promise. As one of those key contributors and a leader, senior wide receiver Solomon Enis is prepared to lead his fellow receivers as he suits up for one final season in the crimson colors.
After four seasons with the program, Enis had his most productive campaign and was a primary contributor on the receiving end of the football. For the year, Enis appeared in 10 games with five starts and recorded 22 receptions for 248 yards and one touchdown. In addition to the numbers, Enis felt like 2021 was his best and most enjoyable season thus far.
“Overall, it was probably the most fun and best season I’ve ever had since going here. Going to the Rose Bowl, winning the Pac-12 Championship, that's what I wanted when I signed up to come here and I think I knew it was coming. But now to experience it, it was a great year,” Enis said.
“I felt like I made strides but I definitely feel like there's a lot more to go,” Enis continued. “I feel like I haven’t hit my ceiling yet, I feel like there’s a lot more for me to learn. I feel like I am very consistent and I am not saying I am average but, I definitely have a lot more to learn.”
Transitioning to spring camp, Enis pointed out a few areas to improve but as one of the leaders of the position group, Enis is also focused on improving as a room and being, “the best receiver group in the Pac-12.”
“There’s always something you can pick at, releases, catching the ball, better routes, getting in and out of breaks…but I just want our group to be the best receiver group in the Pac-12. So that's me trying to be my best everyday and trying to get the other guys to come up with me. Trying to lead them alongside [Devaughn] Vele and JD [Jaylen Dixon], and just trying to get better everyday and be consistent,” Enis explained.
Analyzing the room, Enis mentioned that while there are a lot of young guys, the young players like to make plays and are coming along while the more experienced receivers are doing the best to lead them and be as consistent as possible.
“The veterans are pretty solid across the board. Kyrese Rowan has really stepped up…he’s always been a consistent guy for us but now he’s got a more of a role since [Britain] Covey left. Makai [Cope] and Money [Parks], they had the biggest jump to take and they’re taking full advantage of it because we are going to need them a lot this year and they’ve definitely stepped up,” Enis said.
“We’ve definitely got a lot of younger guys coming in,” Enis continued. “Zach Vaughn, Pierre Moudourou, guys that people don’t really know about yet but they’re definitely cracking into the scene now.”
While the receiving core certainly has a lot of young players, veteran receiver Jaylen Dixon is still around and has been making a lot of plays as of late according to Head Coach Kyle Whittingham. As Dixon continues to get his confidence back, Enis has loved seeing his teammate doing what he does best.
“It’s so good to see him out there just doing what he does. Just being the best he can be. Seeing him day in and day out, show up and make plays for this team…every time I see him out there and he makes a big play I just have to smile because he deserves everything that comes his way,” Enis stated.
As the receiving room continues to improve and Enis prepares for his final season with the program, he’s excited for what lies ahead, specifically the season opener in the swamp. However, with his time winding down, Enis wants to be better about taking it one week at a time.
“I'm really excited for the first game in the swamp. One thing I need to work on is just taking it one week at a time, so I am excited for that week one matchup in the swamp. It’s going to be a big game for us and whatever lies behind that, we’ll take it with a full head of steam,” Enis stated.
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