Javon Solomon grew up in Tallahassee, Fla., so you might say he’s been admiring the Reese’s Senior Bowl from afar most of his life.

Now the former Troy edge rusher will have an opportunity to experience the Senior Bowl up close, playing for the National team in the Feb. 3 game at Mobile’s Hancock Whitney Stadium. Solomon said Monday he’s certainly not taking his coveted spot in the annual all-star game and NFL draft showcase for granted.

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“Coming from Tallahassee, Mobile is not too far away,” Solomon said in an interview session with Mobile-area reporters at Senior Bowl headquarters. “So it’s something that I always heard of as a kid and growing up. I know that it was probably one of the biggest opportunities that anybody can get just from a college standpoint. Playing in this game is a huge opportunity for me. I understand how much it means to me and people that even that are not here, that would love to be here. I’m grateful for the opportunity and I plan to go out there give it my best every day.”

The 6-foot-2, 249-pound Solomon was ignored by most major programs coming out of Tallahassee’s Amos P. Godby High School in 2019, and even redshirted his first season at Troy. But he began to make an impact as a redshirt freshman in 2020 before blossoming in 2021, when he totaled 50 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 11 sacks for a Trojans team that finished 5-7.

With pure edge rusher Richard Jibunor established on the other side, Solomon moved to more of a defensive end position once Jon Sumrall arrived at Troy in 2022. He totaled just 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks that first season under Sumrall, but exploded for 18 TFLs and a nation’s best 16 sacks in 2023.

Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said Solomon will return to his true position during Senior Bowl week, which should allow him to thrive.

“From a technical football standpoint, he was playing a ‘4i’ technique in their defense, which is basically head-up on the tackle,” Nagy said. “That’s really not advantageous to get to the quarterback. So the fact that he got there as many times as he did is pretty impressive. I’m excited to let him get out there on the edge in space more and just let him rip.”

Solomon’s 16 sacks in 2023 were a Division I-era record at Troy, as were his 33 career sacks. That career mark was 3.5 better than Jibunor’s 29.5, and also eclipsed the previous record total of 27.5 set by future Pro Football Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware from 2001-04.

Solomon’s 16 sacks broke the previous Troy Division I record of 15 set by another future NFL standout, Osi Umenyiora, in 2002. Solomon’s four sacks vs. Louisiana-Monroe on Nov. 11 also tied another school record held by Umenyiora.

Ware played in the 2005 Senior Bowl, and was later a first-round pick (No. 11 overall) of the Dallas Cowboys before playing 12 years in the league with the Cowboys and Denver Broncos. He has returned to Troy on a number of occasions since retiring from the NFL in 2016, including in September 2023 for “DeMarcus Ware Day” at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

“I got to meet him a couple of times,” Solomon said of Ware. “He’s a guy that knew what it takes to be successful. You can also tell he’s a great person by how he treats his family. Him and Osi Umenyiora, they were great players in the league and are great people. I try to mimic the way they go about things. So hopefully I get that status one day.”

Jibunor and former Troy cornerback Reddy Steward were two of Solomon’s teammates who played in last weekend’s Hula Bowl All-Star Game in Orlando, but he will be joined in Mobile for Senior Bowl week by former Trojans running back Kimani Vidal. The 2023 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year, Vidal ended his career as the Trojans’ record-holder for rushing yards in a single game (248 vs. Stephen F. Austin), single season (1,661) and career (4,010).

The 5-foot-8, 215-pound Vidal was also an underrecruited player coming out of high school in Marietta, Ga., but finished second in the country in rushing yards in 2023. Solomon said it didn’t take long watching Vidal as a freshman in 2019 to realize he was special.

“As soon as he stepped on the field in practice, as soon as I saw it with my own eyes, he’s truly what he is on film,” Solomon said. “He is an electric back fast, strong, very powerful. To go against a guy like that every day in practice only made me better because he showed me everything I need to prepare for in a week. Anybody I was preparing for wasn’t going to be better than Kimani. He’s a really good guy, very smart, and I can’t wait to see what he does down here.”

The 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl kicks off at noon Central on Feb. 3 at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile. NFL Network will broadcast the game live.