SOLON, Iowa – Bo Black’s goals for this fall are straight forward.

"State championship, play well, get the scouts to notice me and be an all-state player," the Solon junior said.

The Spartans will rely heavily on the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Black, who’s expected to line up at tailback and middle linebacker. They are coming off a 9-2 season after losing to Manchester West Delaware in the second round of the Class 3A State Playoffs.

"He changes directions very well," Solon Coach Kevin Miller said of Black. "He has great lateral speed and a great burst. He has a real nose for the football and he’s physical and tough. He’s rangy.

"He has great upside because he’s a very coachable kid and competes at a high level and has a tremendous work ethic to boot."

As a sophomore, Black totaled 24.5 tackles, including one for loss, and returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown. He caught two balls for 86 yards, one of which was a 53-yard score.

Black’s big play ability has caught the eye of college scouts. He camped this summer at Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Illinois.

"I think he did pretty well from what I gathered," Miller said. "I know at Northern Illinois he did very well and I know their coaches like what they’ve seen in him. I know that he’s taking another visit there. For the most part, I think he had a good camp at Iowa as well."

Black visited Iowa for a junior day last winter and has stopped there two other times for unofficials, including Sunday with classmate Jacob Coons, who has a Hawkeye offer. You can read about his recruitment here.

"(The Iowa coaches are) just keeping in touch with me and we’re building a good relationship with each other," Black said. "Their new complex is pretty amazing. There’s nice stuff in there and I love the coaches."

Black’s older brother, Jacob Black, walked on to the Iowa team this year after playing at Solon and Upper Iowa. The Hawkeyes listed the 6-foot, 205-pound sophomore as a defensive back on their most recent roster.

Colleges are recruiting Bo Black as an inside linebacker. He believes he showed college coaches this summer that he projects at the position at the next level.

"I felt like I hung with everybody there. I felt like I did pretty good," he said. "I just tried to show how athletic I am and what I can do on the field."

Said Miller: "Bo is a kid that runs well, changes directions well and has a knack for the football. Offensively, he’s going to do some different things for us as well and hopefully he can carry the load."