"He's someone we've got real high expectations for, and he has them for himself," CU offensive line coach Denver Johnson said. ["He's an immensely God-gifted kid both physically and mentally. He's got the whole package â€" intangibles, physical gifts and work habits. I hope he has ambitions to maybe play in the NFL because, if he works hard and puts himself in position to have that opportunity, he could do it."
And to think, Solder came to CU as a 6-7, 230-pound tight end. No, really, we're not making this up. He caught three balls for 50 yards as a redshirt freshman in 2007. Soon thereafter, he found himself sitting in former offensive line coach Jeff Grimes' office.
"I didn't feel like I failed at tight end," Solder said. "I could have lasted there as long as I wanted to. But Coach Grimes pointed out how good I could be at tackle if that's what I wanted to do, and I agreed. I'm more comfortable there. I love it. I always prided myself on being a good blocking tight end, so it comes natural to me."
How natural? Consider this: Solder went into spring ball 2008 as essentially "a tight end playing tackle," but emerged last August as the starter at left tackle. But first, there was the little matter of getting bigger ... and bigger ... and bigger.
He weighed in at 270 last spring, then reported to fall camp at 302.
Now, for the numbers within the numbers: During his tight end days, his body fat registered as low as 2 percent, the stuff of runway models. It hovered around 5 or 6 percent as he piled on weight but never got above 10. As of today, it's at 8 percent, well below the 25 percent limit mandated for CU's offensive linemen. In other words, he could get a lot bigger ...
Despite piling on all those pounds, Solder's 4.8 time in the 40-yard dash is off the charts for a lineman. His speed and strength â€" he's among the strongest players on the CU roster â€" helped him hold his own last year vs. the likes of Texas' Brian Orakpo and Florida State's Everett Brown. Solder graded out at 99 percent against Kansas State, the highest number for a CU lineman since 1990.
Add it all up and Solder can't help but be noticed by NFL scouts. But if he doesn't play on Sundays, his dream is becoming an equine veterinarian.
That's the other part of the story. He didn't sign with CU to become a force on the football field. He carries a 3.4 grade-point average in biology and is gearing up to reach 3.5 so he can qualify for vet school at Colorado State. And if an NFL career, shall we say, ruins those plans?
"That would be great financially and awesome to play in the NFL, but I want to be a vet ... "
