Soroh steps up to replace Al-Shaair
BOCA RATON – Andrew Soroh stepped into a Florida Atlantic interview room to talk to reporters after Tuesday’s practice wearing a shirt that said “Built 2 Grind.”
It was interesting for a couple of reasons: 1.) Azeez Al-Shaair, the program’s alltime leading tackler, was the player Soroh was called upon to replace after the news that Al-Shaair will miss the rest of the season; 2.) That grind that Soroh is built for is what made the redshirt senior capable of doing it.
“I was thinking, ‘What would Azeez do if he was out here?’ ” Soroh said of starting at middle linebacker in a critical Conference USA game at Marshall.
Had Al-Shaair, a senior who tore both his ACL and MCL in one of his knees at practice last week, been able to play: probably a team-high 14 tackles, one and a half tackles for loss, and half a sack.
That’s exactly what Soroh did in filling AlShaair’s void in a game the defense played well despite the 31-7 loss as most of the points it gave up came on a short field as the Thundering Herd forced five FAU turnovers.
“He always told me, if anything was to ever happen, be prepared for the moment when my number’s called. My number was up, and I performed,” said Soroh, who comically revealed his unfamiliarity with the interview process on Tuesday when he was confused as media members approached a desk he sat in front of to turn on their recorders. “I had to come in, play my game and do what I do and just play for Azeez.”
Said senior safety Jalen Young: “He really stepped up and he really made some great plays and some key plays. I got a feeling he’s only going to progress from here. He’s looking forward to being a leader on this defense.”
Junior weak-side (Will) linebacker Rashad Smith, who had 12 tackles on Saturday and leads the team this season, touted Soroh for his ability to play fast, get to the ball and keeping the defense together without Al-Shaair.
What made Soroh’s game even more impressive was the number of positions he played on Saturday — middle (Mike) linebacker in base defense, strong-side (Sam) linebacker in nickel and even some defensive end.
“He did a good job because he had to play three positions,” FAU coach Lane Kiffin said. “Really good job by him because that’s difficult to do and he really played really well.”
Soroh, a product of American High in Hialeah where he was coached by former FAU assistant Corey Bell, is no stranger to providing versatility. He was previously listed as a costarter with senior Khantrell Burden at strongside linebacker, which gets replaced by a fifth defensive back when the team uses its nickel package. In the spring, the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder was putting his hand in the ground, working at defensive end.
Not bad for a converted safety.
It was Al-Shaair’s leadership and willingness to teach Soroh a new position that prepared him for the moment.
“I learned a him,” Soroh said.
“When I came into the linebacker room, he showed me a lot of things that I didn’t really know about the game. That’s somebody that comes in every day, works hard, takes advantage of every opportunity. No matter what the outcome of the game is, he always approaches the game the same.” lot from “Albert [Wilson] is a great player, man,” said Dolphins receiver Danny Amendola said. “He brings a lot to our team, and he’s a great teammate. He’ll be back.”