"Solis' stay at Montana was a short one. He reported to school on Aug. 4 and began practice with the Grizzlies on Aug. 6. He said the team spent its first two days indoors — "we had a lot of meetings" — before hitting the field on Aug. 8. That night, Solis talked with Montana head coach Bobby Hauck about leaving the program.
Hauck told Solis to sleep on it. The next morning, Aug. 9, Solis told Hauck he felt the same. Like that, Montana was in Solis' rearview mirror.
"It was pretty emotional for me. I've been playing football my whole life," Solis said. "It just didn't feel right."
When asked about specifics, Solis said he felt like an "outsider." Despite rooming with another player from his home state — freshman linebacker Jace Schneider from Bellevue — Solis said he perceived certain "cliques" within the team.
"A lot of the other kids that got recruited there, they were all from Montana," he said. "I didn't know anyone."
Solis said as a freshman he expected to have to grind, but he compared Montana to a "military school" as coaches detailed certain restrictions placed on players, such as where they could go to eat and what clothing they could wear.
"I wasn't allowed to wear anything with my high school logo during the week," Solis said. "I mean, that's where I'm from. That's the football team that raised me."
North Kitsap football coach Jeff Weible said he hadn't spoken with Solis since his return to Poulsbo, but said it's not uncommon for high school players to experience a rude awakening once they enter college.
"It's a different ball game," Weible said."