Tag: Andre Seldon

Former Michigan football CB finds yet another new school via transfer portal

Good to see he’s still going!

It’s been something of a circuitous route for former Belleville (Michigan) cornerback Andre Seldon — and a long one.

Once in the 2019 class, Seldon was the first commitment for the Wolverines that cycle, having pledged all the way back in the summer of 2018. However, it didn’t work out for Seldon in Ann Arbor, and he transferred to New Mexico State.

But the local product is on the move again, having entered the transfer portal. Entering his sixth year, Seldon will be transferring to a familiar foe: the TCU Horned Frogs — his third school in six years.

Of course, Seldon was not on that Michigan football team that played TCU in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve in 2022. But after a few years in the Group of Five, Seldon is headed back to the Power Five, now playing in the pass-happy Big 12.

Transfer portal defensive back talks potential Florida visit

The Gators could use some help in the defensive backfield after the recent portal departures.

College football’s transfer portal is wide open as the 2023 calendar year comes to a close. For Florida football, it has been a rough go as the program has seen some big names depart through the sport’s de facto free agency system.

With all the losses, the Gators have plenty of openings for other student-athletes to fill up and down the roster — especially the defensive back room. That is where former New Mexico State Aggies DB [autotag]Andre Seldon[/autotag] fits into the equation.

The 5-foot-9-inch, 190-pound redshirt sophomore entered the portal on Dec. 24 and the Orange and Blue pounced on him with little hesitation.

“(Secondary) coach (Will) Harris got in contact with me and said he wants to get me down for a visit, so we are in the process of getting that together. He just had his first child, so he’s at the hospital right now,” Seldon told Gators Online on Tuesday.

“No specific dates (were mentioned). When everything clears up for him, we will talk about that.”

Seldon was a four-star recruit in the 2020 cycle, spending his first college season on the field with the Michigan Wolverines in 2021 before transferring out west. In his 2022 campaign, he recorded 52 tackles (36 solo tackles), seven pass deflections and an interception.

His talents have piqued the interest of other schools as well. Seldon has an official visit set with the Wisconsin Badgers for the first weekend of the 2024 calendar year and has also talked about a visit with the Texas A&M Aggies.

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Michigan football CB transfer destination revealed

Best of luck to him.

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From 2020 recruiting class ringleader to playing at another school, it’s been quite a journey for former Belleville (Mich.) four-star cornerback Andre Seldon.

Once Seldon arrived early in Ann Arbor and started getting ready to play, everything was derailed by COVID-19, from the shutdown to his own diagnosis which precluded him from seeing the field early. Changes in the defensive staff likely didn’t help the next year, as well as perhaps undisclosed injuries, as Seldon appeared in street clothes for both the Big Ten Championship Game and College Football Playoff semifinal.

He was announced to be in the NCAA transfer portal, and he’ll now join a fellow former Wolverine out West.

Seldon took to social media to announce on Thursday that he’s committed to New Mexico State, where former running back O’Maury Samuels currently plays.

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Seldon will have a full four years of eligibility with the Aggies. He’s not the only Wolverines corner to depart this offseason, as fellow 2020 classmate Darion Green-Warren entered the transfer portal and subsequently committed to Nevada.

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Another Michigan defensive back in NCAA transfer portal

Another one. Best of luck to him.

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Michigan football already lost one 2020 defensive back to the NCAA transfer portal, now both cornerbacks from that recruiting class are on their way out.

On Tuesday, Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne four-star cornerback Darion Green-Warren was discovered to be in the transfer portal, and now his counterpart, Belleville (Mich.) four-star Andre Seldon, thought to be the nickel back of the future, has joined him.

Seldon battled COVID-19 in 2020 and didn’t get to see the field. According to PFF, Seldon has played a total of seven snaps — six in 2020 and one in 2021 — and spent much of the 2021 season in street clothes, including in the College Football Playoff and Big Ten Championship Game. And on Wednesday, he announced his intentions to leave the program.

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Seldon was among the first commits of the 2020 class to pledge, having joined the class in the summer of 2019. He was an active recruiter for the Wolverines, but was plagued by COVID-19, as mentioned, which precluded him from getting on the field. When Mike Macdonald took over the defense in 2021, it perhaps hampered Seldon’s ability to get on the field, as well.

The Wolverines are bringing in six defensive backs as part of the 2022 recruiting class.

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Why Michigan hasn’t infused more young talent into secondary

Why we haven’t seen more of the young Michigan football defensive backs as Vincent Gray and Gemon Green have had their struggles.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. —  One of the common things often heard from a fan base when their team is struggling is that the program should insert whatever players that aren’t playing when others are having issues on the field.

That’s certainly been the case for Michigan fans with the secondary. As first-time starters at cornerback Vincent Gray and Gemon Green have had up-and-down performances in the first four games of the season, some fans want the experiment to be over, demanding to see new blood at the position. However, there are various reasons why that won’t likely be the case.

Often times — if not all of the time — the two starters are the best players available. Sometimes, others aren’t ready. In others, there are injuries that have either hindered their development or they’re currently not 100%, which inhibits their ability to see the field at present.

For Michigan, it’s riding with Gray and Green, but as questions about their viability continue to swirl, cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich explained on Wednesday where some of the other candidates — DJ Turner, Sammy Faustin and Andre Seldon — are at this point in the season.

“They’re developing – I think that’s a great way to put it,” Zordich said. “DJ was on the move and then he had an unfortunate – I wouldn’t say an injury, but something that was nagging him that kind of put him behind. Sammy – same thing with Sammy. Moved Sammy over, loved his body type, his speed, his athletic ability – he could definitely do it (but) he had a little setback.

“And Dre — I gotta give a lot of credit to (Andre) Seldon. He’s a smart, tough guy, man. He’s coming along really well.”

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According to PFF, thus far, Turner has seen 11 defensive snaps — all against Wisconsin this past week, Jalen Perry has played 31 (MSU, Wisconsin), and Faustin played 13 on special teams, whereas Seldon and Darrion Green-Warren have yet to see playing time at any position.

That hasn’t been the case as much at safety, where true freshman Makari Paige has played in each of the four games thus far, with 107 snaps now under his belt.

3 things to watch for against No. 21 Minnesota

Michigan football looks to start the shortened season with a win as they try and defeat Minnesota, check out the three things to focus on.

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After a long summer and with the season getting canceled then reinstated, Big Ten football is back and on opening week in primetime, Michigan football takes on No. 21 Minnesota on the road. Michigan is entering the season with plenty of questions on both sides of the football, with new starters at cornerback, the offensive line, and the most important position of them all, quarterback.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines starting the season with a big win over Minnesota would be a huge confidence boost as they head into a rivalry game against Michigan State next week. With not much wiggle room in a nine-game season and no non-conference games, each game just got more intense and important for every team in the Big Ten. Michigan would love nothing more than to go into Minnesota and take down the Golden Gophers and finally see how they can play in a real game instead of just having practices.

With kickoff in less than a week finally, here are the three things to watch for Michigan against Minnesota.

1. How will Michigan’s secondary fair against Minnesota’s passing offense?

Last season, Minnesota finished as the 27th ranked offense in the country. With two wide receivers finishing with over 1,200 yards and quarterback Tanner Morgan throwing for 3,253 with 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The bad news for Minnesota is one of those wide receivers is now in the NFL. The good news is the other, Rashod Bateman, opted back in after opting out earlier this year. Bateman had 60 catches for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.

Bateman’s return isn’t good for the Wolverine secondary, who lost cornerback Lavert Hill and now cornerback Ambry Thomas who opted out of the 2020 season to focus on the 2021 NFL Draft. With that, the only returning cornerback with starting experience is Vincent Gray. The other starting cornerback spot is still up for grabs as German Green, DJ Turner, and Andre Seldon are fighting it out in practice.

This inexperienced secondary will have its hands full with Bateman, but the good news for them is outside of Bateman, the receiving core for Minnesota isn’t as daunting. The next best returning wide receiver is Chris Autman-Bell who had 28 catches for 371 yards and five touchdowns last season. This secondary will be tested heavily and often by Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck. Morgan will have to find help elsewhere if Bateman finds himself in double coverage and with the Wolverines having the 10th best defense last season, even with new starters at the cornerback position, could be a tough matchup for Morgan to start the season out.

2. Will Joe Milton be the answer at quarterback?

After months of practice, quarterback Joe Milton will finally start for the first time in his career in Ann Arbor. Milton took on Dylan McCaffrey for the starting job and came out the winner, while McCaffrey would transfer out. Milton brings a different look at the position for the first time under Harbaugh with the possible playmaker that Milton can be with his arm as he can create big plays with the help of the speed he has at wide receiver.

Milton’s cannon of an arm will have to be on display as he tries to take on the Minnesota defense, which was ranked eighth last year but lost a lot of pieces. Milton will have plenty of weapons to throw to as well with a loaded backfield and receiver room, there is no lack of help for him to find on the field. The only question mark will be the offensive line and if they can keep Milton up and give him time to throw the football, Milton will be able to sling it deep on the Golden Gopher secondary.

Milton won’t need to put up big numbers in his first career start, but if his completion percentage can be positive, limit the turnovers, and avoid careless mistakes, it’s all the team can ask for if the others can do their job as well. The strong arm that Milton has will be on display and it’s something the Wolverines haven’t had in a long time. Milton making big plays can also instill more confidence in himself, especially on the road and against a ranked opponent.

3. Can Michigan get over the GameDay hump?

When all eyes are on the Wolverines, they seem to struggle. When Michigan is involved with a game that is on ESPN’s College GameDay show, they are 1-7 with their only win coming against Wisconsin in 2018. Another record that is 1-7 for Michigan is Harbaugh when he is on the road against a ranked opponent, his last win was also in 2018 against Michigan State.

Harbaugh has been able to defeat the teams they should beat, but when the challenge increases, that’s when Harbaugh and Michigan struggle. Road games are tough, but now with no fans in the crowd, there shouldn’t be too much of an advantage anymore. When the bright lights are on, Harbaugh and his team need to shine bright.

This matchup against Minnesota will be the first primetime game for the Big Ten this season and a win over an impressive Golden Gophers team would be a big help for the Wolverines who look to climb up the AP polls and be a team to talk about when the College Football Playoff polls begin on November 24. Harbaugh would get another win over a ranked opponent on the road and a win on Gameday in one week, two of his struggles taken down week one. One win won’t fix everything, but it can be the start of a huge season for the Wolverines.

Contact/Follow @WolverinesWire/ @BKnappBlogs

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Multiple positional moves in Michigan secondary highlights versatility

Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh broke down the depth to both safety and corner, noting multiple position switches.

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Michigan’s secondary is in an odd state heading into the 2020 season opener at Minnesota.

While the safety position returns two starters in Daxton Hill and Brad Hawkins, with Lavert Hill graduating and Ambry Thomas opting out, Michigan will be breaking in two new starters at cornerback.

Speaking to Jon Jansen on the Inside Michigan Football radio program, head coach Jim Harbaugh broke down both positions, starting with the safeties. And with Hill returning, he feels like he has a special player — if not the Wolverines’ best, overall.

“It’s been a high-level, really,” Harbaugh said. “The talent – he might be our most talented player on the team, arguably. Very, very trusted, very good communicator in the backend. Really knows the safety position and also the nickel position. He’s really, really good. Playing both safety and covering in the nickel slot. He’s been really good.

“Brad Hawkins, he is playing his best football since he’s been here, too. He’s a returning starter, so that’s saying something. Doing extremely well. Makari Paige, Hunter Reynolds – those two have been really good.

“Compliment both the Green brothers – German Green playing safety and special teams and Gemon Green is competing for the staring corner position alongside Vince Gray. Been happy with both safeties. Caden Kolesar, also playing safety and special teams. Those are the ones that are right there in the mix at safety and doing a really good job.”

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While that’s a bit of depth at safety, though Harbaugh touched on it, what more does he see at corner?

It’s evident now that third-year in-state defensive back Vincent Gray has secured on position, and while Gemon Green is competing for the other, who else could contend for playing time this season?

Harbaugh notes another player who’s switched positions during fall camp in Sammy Faustin, who’s been drawing rave reviews from defensive coordinator Don Brown the past few months.

“Corners, there’s battles going on,” Harbaugh said. “Vince Gray – who’s starting. Who’s on the other side of Vince? You got Gemon Green — Sammy Faustin has moved from safety to corner. He’s doing a really nice job the last week since he’s been there. Also: I mentioned George Johnson and DJ Turner, Eamonn Dennis, Andre Seldon. All guys that are competing very strongly at the corner position.”

There had been rumblings of Dax Hill moving to corner, but it appears, according to Harbaugh’s Monday night appearance and Don Brown’s the previous Monday, that he’s sticking with safety and nickel back. On Monday, he touched on Faustin’s move as well as George Johnson’s transition from wideout to defensive back. Hunter Reynolds is a former corner who converted to safety last season.

With all that in mind, Harbaugh is enthusiastic about having so many players who can take on multiple roles. With the variable position switches, he says it gives Michigan the best chance to succeed.

“Versatility is always a good thing, no doubt,” Harbaugh said. “The players that are the most talented and give the most effort, the cream rises to the top and I think we’re seeing that. It does allow Coach Zordich and Don Brown the ability to — when a player has versatility to do the best things for our team and get the best matchups, et cetera. I think all those things are a big bonus.”

We’ll get to see just how that versatility pans out in less than two weeks, with Michigan traveling to Minnesota for the Oct. 24 Big Ten season kickoff. The game will be nationally televised in primetime, with ABC putting it in its 7:30 P.M. EDT slot.

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Gemon Green ‘leader in the clubhouse’ as Michigan football starting CB

Could Michigan football have a surprise starting at Ambry Thomas’ vacant cornerback spot in 2020?

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While it was no surprise that Michigan got Ambry Thomas to agree to come back for his senior year after the bowl game, what was surprising that he opted out and has chosen not to return to the team after the postponement and then reinstatement of the 2020 football season. Thus, with Lavert Hill having departed after exhausting his eligibility, Michigan is looking to break in a bevy of new cornerbacks.

So who’s in contention?

Wolverines defensive coordinator Don Brown went into even more depth than he did a week ago on Monday when he spoke to Jon Jansen on the Inside Michigan Football radio program on Learfield IMG College.

“Obviously we wish Ambry nothing but success,” Brown said. “But DJ Turner’s been working really hard, Jalen Perry also working really hard. Gemon Green has really played well. He’s a guy that’s been with us for a period of time. Always had the athletic ability. Conceptually, he’s put it all together. So we feel really good about him.

“Young guys – George Johnson, Andre Seldon really doing well. This Keshaun Harris, who’s a former track guy here, he shows that track speed every day. And we got a young guy from Massachusetts, this Eamonn Dennis, that can flat-out fly. Most of his high school play was on the offensive side. Well, he’s learning to play corner. The one thing that shines is his 4.38 40. We’re trying to get him up to speed, but he’s with the best corners coach in the country, so he’ll be just fine.”

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That said, who will be the starters?

Michigan has often platooned at least one cornerback position — you can recall Jeremy Clark/Channing Stribling in 2015-16 or even working in either Brandon Watson or Vincent Gray in the past two years — but at the moment, two are standing out to Brown: the aforementioned Gray and third-year corner Gemon Green.

However, with camp still ongoing, nothing is written in stone at this juncture.

“We challenge those guys everyday,” Brown said. “Vincent Gray is the unquestionable leader and who’s gonna be the second guy? Well, that’s why we call it practice. One day, one guy looks really good. Another day, another guy looks really good. But I also lean on Gemon Green’s done a good job there. I’d say he’s the leader in the clubhouse right now. That challenge is far from over.”

We won’t know for sure whether or not Green can claim that starting role until Oct. 24, when Michigan heads to Minnesota for the Big Ten season opener.

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Early playing time likely, Don Brown shares potential instant impact Michigan freshmen

With the likelihood that Michigan will have several play early, the Wolverines defensive coordinator breaks down the likely contributors.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — One of the big questions every year before the season begins is who of the first-year players will of the instant impact variety? Given the oddness of 2020 — the postponed start, a nine-game Big Ten schedule, and COVID-19 still being out there — we might be seeing some younger players on the field sooner-than-not.

On the defensive side of the ball, Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown says that he anticipates playing some younger players earlier, because you never know who will be needed should a player or handful of players test positive, thus meaning a 21-day period where those affected must sit out.

“Yes, I think we will (play younger players earlier),” Brown said. “Obviously, keeping your fingers crossed with this COVID issue as well, you just don’t know what’s gonna happen on a week-to-week basis in terms of your roster. So you’ve gotta be prepared. The one thing that Coach Harbaugh has stressed to all of us coaches is, ‘Coach everybody! Make sure everybody gets coached!’ And that has all got taken to heart. And we are coaching the first-day freshman and the senior that’s never got on the field, because you just don’t know who’s gonna end up playing for you on Saturday afternoon. So that’s been an important battle cry.

“If you ask me what’s been the biggest difference having this extended period: we’ve been able to teach the defense to every human being that’s in the unit. If you don’t know the defense, it’s your fault, because they’ve all had opportunity to practice, they’ve all had opportunity to run with upper-level units, and we’re making sure everybody gets coached.”

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During his 40-plus minute media availability, Brown named several true freshmen who have stood out to him thus far. He mentioned William Mohan at VIPER, Jaylen Harrell at SAM linebacker, Nikhai Hill-Green at WILL linebacker and Eamonn Dennis at cornerback as potential contributors at one point or another.

But he also singled out an in-state early-enrollee who is all-but-ensured to see the field this season in some capacity.

“I’ll give you a name that I’m kind of excited about,” Brown said. “This Makari Paige is playing at a high level. And he’s a young man that we feel he can jump in there and help us at early stages, for sure. And you can never predict that until you’re out there on the practice field and guys are kinda going through the paces. He’s a safety all the way, tremendous length. I’m gonna be conservative and say he’s 6-foot-2 – I think he’s taller than that. He really plays well over the slot. But we have a number of guys playing pretty well over the slots, and the good thing is we have good, young receivers, so we’re getting challenged every day. It’s nice to be able to get a good look at our guys in terms of competitive situations.”

Beyond that, who else has been impressing Brown since arriving on campus?

He went deeper into some of the names that were already discussed as well as a few others who very well could see early playing time in 2020.

“It’s so hard when you start saying ‘this freshman’ and ‘that freshman’ and then you forget a guy,” Brown said. “I think the guys that have really stood out, starting with the linebacker position: Kalel Mullings – he’s 6-foot-2.5, he’s 241-pounds and he’s 17-years old playing the MIKE linebacker position. He can run now. Nikhai Hill-Green plays the WILL next door to him. They were both just in my office. They love football, they love being around it. I just see the sky’s the limit for those guys. Cornell Wheeler from West Bloom is another guy. Has lost some time but is back now. And obviously, we need to see more out of Cornell, but I think he’s got real ability as well. R.J. Moten at safety is gonna be a real good player. I’m not sure he’s in the right position exactly yet – we’re trying to figure that out. There’s really a lot of good players. Seldon is a good player – we’re playing him at nickel, but he missed a little bit of time as well.

“Those guys are good players, you know? Kris Jenkins is a defensive lineman from Good Counsel. His dad played in the NFL for a very long time. He’s got tremendous upside as well. We’re happy with him. I’m whipping around in my head here – I know I’m gonna miss some significant guys on you.

“But we’re very happy with that freshman class overall. High character. Really good football players and guys that can really help us.”

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In new year, Michigan loaded with options in return game

Special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh gave a long list of contenders for both positions, while noting one particular thing won’t change.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — There are two positions that seem to constantly be in flux in Ann Arbor, and that’s at both kick and punt return.

Some years, you have obvious choices — like Jabrill Peppers, who handled the bulk of both in 2015-16 — but in others, one player may get the call one year but not the next.

Such was the case last year, with 2018 starting kick returner Ambry Thomas out for much of the offseason with a bout of colitis. Though he got the start right out of the gates at cornerback, given that he didn’t practice much and that it was an uphill battle just to get him on the field, he ceded his role to true freshman Giles Jackson.

The starting punt returner the past three years was Donovan Peoples-Jones, but he departed with a year of eligibility remaining on the table, getting drafted in the sixth-round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.

While he’s been one of two coaches working on special teams since 2016, Jay Harbaugh is now the bona fide special teams coordinator with Chris Partridge’s departure on Jan. 2 to Ole Miss. When he looks at the kick return situation, he doesn’t feel the need for change personnel-wise, considering what Jackson brought to the table last year. But, he certainly won’t be the only one back deep, Harbaugh explains, noting the need to have other capable returners to help Jackson’s job become easier, while giving different looks to the opposing team’s kickoff unit.

“It’s a really strong group,” Harbaugh said. “I would say overall, it might be the best that we’ve had just in terms of depth in terms of guys we feel like, ‘Hey, this guy could be an option.’ In the past, we kind of had older guys where we took it off their plate or guys were really young and inexperienced. So we have a nice balance now.

“For kickoff returns, we love Giles back there. I think everybody does. Crazy fast, super talented. And he even left some yards out there last year that I think this year he’s gonna be able to take advantage of. Just be able to continue to improve the way that he understands our system, seeing the blocking scheme develop. So expecting a huge year from him.

“And he’s got a great group of guys that are gonna be able to compete with him, make him better and be back there with him. Those guys are Ronnie Bell – he’s done it before – Mike Sainristil, Blake Corum, Andre Seldon, Mike Barrett’s been back there and does a great job as an off-returner, does a tremendous job blocking. So it’s a really deep group. Daxton Hill has been back there, Chris Evans.

“So we feel great about the quality of guys back there, which is really necessary, because as soon as a returner becomes a really big play threat, that’s when you see, all of a sudden, that guy doesn’t get the ball so much anymore, so it’s important to have somebody else back there that’s a legit big play threat.”

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As noted, with Peoples-Jones’ departure, Michigan will be looking for a fresh face to take over punt return duties.

Harbaugh sees pretty much all of the same faces on kick return having a shot to also return punts, with the caveat that there are two incoming freshmen who certainly could make the battle more interesting when they arrive in Ann Arbor.

“In the punt return scheme, obviously not having Donovan will be a new thing for us, and luckily we were able to get some live reps with Ronnie in the past,” Harbaugh said. “Mike Sainristil in the past. That’s something Giles can do, too, which is exciting. Mike Barrett catches the ball extremely well. Blake Corum is punt returner. I don’t know if I mentioned Seldon. And that’s not even excluding the Roman Wilsons and the A.J. Hennings of the world that are still kinda, we’re not sure yet. But those guys are electric. I’m confident they’ll at least be able to compete and push those guys. And if they’re able to get to the point where they can catch it with confidence at some point in the year, those guys can be legit dudes as well.”

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