LIONS SIGN KICKER FROM TROY
This weekend the Columbus Lions filled a vital position on the roster by signing Jed Solomon, a 28 year-old placekicker from Troy University. With the addition of Solomon the Lions now have a placekicker on the roster to handle kicking duties during the 2021 season which is less than two weeks away.
Solomon was a Trojan at Troy for five years, attending the school in 2011 and redshirting and graduating in 2015. During that time, he remained on the bench before finally getting a chance to start at kicker during his senior season in 2015.
In that final season Solomon did not disappoint as he finished the year with 15 made field goals on 19 attempts and 39 made extra points on 40 total attempts. His field goal percentage of 78.9% was second-best all time in school history.
Following graduation from Troy University, he entered the 2016 NFL Draft but he went undrafted. Solomon continued to work on kicking and searched for a team throughout 2016 and he eventually signed with Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League(AFL) during the 2017 season. He struggled early on, making only 16 of his 28 extra point attempts and he was placed on reassignment on June 14, 2017.
The next stop for Solomon was with the Atlanta Havoc of the American Arena League(AAL) in 2018. During the 2018 season Solomon made 85 of 91 extra point attempts and finished with a 93% PATs made percentage. His success during the season led to him being voted as the league’s best kicker at the end of the season.
Now Solomon is heading to Columbus to join the Lions of the NAL, his third arena league so far. While Solomon struggled early on as he tried to adjust to arena football, he seemed to find a groove with the Havoc in 2018. Head coach Jason Gibson sees the importance of the position as well and is hoping for similar success from Solomon.
“Jed has a tremendous leg. The deuce is so vital to our game,” said Jason Gibson. “Jed can be a difference maker on the scoreboard.”
The Columbus Lions kickoff the season on June 4 against the Orlando Predators and training camp is winding down to the last few days with offensive lineman, linebackers and defensive lineman reporting to training camp today.
ABOUT THE COLUMBUS LIONS
The Columbus Lions are members of the National Arena League (NAL). Founded in 2007, the Columbus Lions are starting their 15th season in 2021. The Lions are a 3x league champion and 13 playoff appearances in their rich history. The Lions play their home games at Hughston Field in the Columbus Civic Center. Lions Season Ticket Memberships are on sale now call (706) 322-3336 or visit columbuslions.com. Follow the Lions on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Lionsfootball/, twitter @columbuslions and instagram.com/Columbuslions.
ABOUT NATIONAL ARENA LEAGUE
The National Arena League was founded in 2016 and hosted its inaugural season in 2017 as the premier league in arena football. The National Arena League will kick off its fifth season in 2021. For more information regarding expansion opportunities or partnerships, contact Commissioner Chris Siegfried at chris@nationalarenaleague.com For more information about the NAL visit www.nationalarenaleague.com, facebook.com/nationalarenaleauge, twitter.com/NALfootball, Instagram.com/nationalarenaleague.