GEORGE SELVIE

NEWS

ARTICLES USF’s Selvie seeks big fi nish

By: Brian Bennett ESPN.com fi eld this year. So that might happen the fi rst couple 09-11-08 of games, but after that it’s going to be over.” Last summer, George Selvie publicly projected 20 sacks as his goal for 2008. If he sees those double and triple teams this season, Selvie should have a better idea of how to handle it. It was a bold but not too outlandish claim for the South Florida defensive end, coming off a sopho- “Now he knows more of what to expect going in,” more year in which he led the nation in tackles for Bulls defensive line coach Kevin Patrick said. “If loss with 31.5 and fi nished second in the country you’ve never driven a forklift before, it’s going to with 14.5 sacks. Bigger things seemed in store for a feel a little weird. Instead of being single blocked guy still learning the position. like he was his whole career, teams were putting two and three guys on him, sprinting away from and Instead, Selvie put together disappointing stats, at using different protections to stop him. He’s gone least by his own lofty standards. He fi nished with through that now and will be ready for it in 2009.” 13.5 tackles for loss and just 5.5 sacks, a victim of constant double teams and a midseason ankle injury. At this point, Selvie isn’t making any predictions for Though he still made the All-Big East fi rst team and the coming season. He’d rather let his play do the at least one All-America team, Selvie said last year’s talking this time around. performance contributed to his decision to return to school for his senior year. “I really don’t know what we’ve got in store,” he said. “We’ll see what goes on as we go.” “I felt like I didn’t want to end on that type of season when I knew I could have done better,” he said.

The Bulls star hopes a few changes will lead to better numbers for him this year -- and push the team into championship-contender status.

Selvie’s always been an undersized defensive end who uses his speed and neverending motor to his advantage. Now he says he’s worked his way up to 250 pounds for the fi rst time ever after playing at just under 240 at the end of last season. He’s targeting 255 by the fall, hoping that will make him harder for offensive tackles to push around.

Selvie also picked something up when the Pittsburgh Steelers trained at South Florida before their Super Bowl win over the Arizona Cardinals. He saw how Steelers linebacker James Harrison, the NFL’s defen- sive player of the year, spent a lot of time stretching every day after he lifted weights.

“I hadn’t done that before, but now I’m stretching, too,” Selvie said. “I want to follow in their shadows and do everything they do because I want to be on their level someday.”

While Selvie didn’t put up huge sack totals last year, he often occupied at least two blockers and allowed his teammates to make plays. Opponents might not have the luxury of concentrating so much on him this season.

South Florida returns three starters on the defensive line and veteran reserve Craig Marshall at defensive end. The Bulls are also bringing in highly-touted junior-college defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and prized true freshman Ryne Giddens. They might have the most talented defensive line in the Big East.

“I think we can be great,” Selvie said. “There’s going to be some good competition this spring, but come fall, I think there will be some great competition.

“I got beat up like the fi rst three games last year and I didn’t know what to do. So I created things for my teammates. But we’ve got playmakers all over the The Big East’s best: George Selvie, No. 1

By BRIAN BENNETT ESPN.com "It's nice that I get to play against people who said I was too small in high school," he said. 05-22-09 Selvie should get lots of help along the deep and talented South Florida defensive line this season. In Ranking the Big East’s Top 30 players ... addition to veterans like Aaron Harris and Terrell McClain, the line will be bolstered by highly touted No. 1 newcomers Jason Pierre-Paul and Ryne Giddins. It's going to be harder for teams to double Selvie and still George Selvie, DE, South Florida account for everybody else. Why him here: Selvie got some advance word that he Selvie could have gone to the NFL after last season. would be ranked as the Big East's top player. I told Though he's still undersized as a pro defensive line- him on the phone earlier this week and asked for his man, so were Connecticut's Cody Brown and Cincin- reaction. nati's Connor Barwin, both of whom were taken in the second round. Just about every early 2010 mock "It's a great honor to be considered the No. 1 player," draft projects Selvie as a fi rst-round choice. he said. "But it always comes down to my coaches and teammates, because I couldn't do anything Part of the reason he stayed in school was to fi nish on without them. It's a big accomplishment as a team. a higher note. Coming from South Florida, we're a young program, so to have people ranked at the top tier of the Big "We've been focusing on having a big year," he said. East is a great feeling." "I know it's not all on me. We have to try to go out and win as a team." No one in the Big East can match what Selvie has already accomplished. He's a two-time fi rst-team This list, though, is about individuals. And George All-American (he was named to the fi rst team by the Selvie is the best player in the Big East. American Football Coaches Association last year) and was the 2007 defensive player of the year in the The countdown conference. He is the nation's career active leader in tackles for loss (61) and is second nationally in No. 2: Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati career sacks (25.5). No. 3: Matt Grothe, QB, South Florida No. 4: Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia Selvie's statistics last season (5.5 sacks, 13.5 tackles No. 5: Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati for loss) were down from his huge sophomore cam- No. 6: Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh paign. He was hobbled by an ankle injury and faced No. 7: Victor Anderson, RB, Louisville constant double teams. No. 8: Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh No. 9: Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse He knows that and has been working hard to put up a No. 10: Reed Williams, LB, West Virginia monster senior season. South Florida strength coach No. 11: Ryan D'Imperio, LB, Rutgers Ron McKeefery said Selvie has been in the weight No. 12: Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers room every day this month, even when the players No. 13: Scott Lutrus, LB, Connecticut haven't been required to be on campus. The player No. 14: Jarrett Brown, QB, West Virginia who once struggled to reach 230 pounds is now 253 No. 15: Aaron Berry, CB, Pittsburgh with a goal of 255 by fall camp. No. 16: Robert Vaughn, S, Connecticut No. 17: Scooter Berry, DL, West Virginia "At fi rst it felt kind of heavy and I didn't know if I No. 18: Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh could breathe," he said. "I've never run around with No. 19: Scott Long, WR, Louisville that kind of weight." No. 20: Jason Pinkston, OT, Pittsburgh No. 21: Jessie Hester Jr., WR, South Florida Selvie is almost 6-foot-5 with long legs and rangy No. 22: Ryan Blaszczyk, C, Rutgers arms, all the better to corral a scrambling quarter- No. 23: Jeff Linkenbach, OT, Cincinnati back. He's now benching 405 pounds and ran a 4.28 No. 24: Brandon Hogan, CB, West Virginia second pro-agility drill, which is a better indicator of No. 25: Mike Williams, WR, Syracuse a defensive end's skills than the 40-yard dash. No. 26: Nate Allen, S, South Florida No. 27: Jock Sanders, WR, West Virginia "That's a receiver time," McKeefery said. "We don't No. 28: Nate Byham, TE, Pitt have receivers who run it that fast. No. 29: Jon Dempsey, LB, Louisville No. 30: Moe Petrus, OL, UConn "He was a stick fi gure when he got here, and now he's benching 405 with an incredible wing span. He's really come a long way. He looks great and feels great."

Selvie has all the physical tools. But what really separates him is his nonstop motor. He gives relent- less effort every day in practice and every down of a game. He still shows the hunger of the high school center who didn't attract any Division I scholarship offers except from South Florida. Scout Q&A: South Florida DE George Selvie

By CHRIS STEUBER say that I’m not that great against the run, but as a Merriman. I also like having my hand in the dirt. It’s sophomore I had 31.5 tackles for a loss. I just want to a good time down there in the trenches. Scout.com go out there and play physical and be more dominant 07-2-09 against the run. CS: Getting away from football for a moment, I read something on your bio that astonished me, “A Buick CS: You enter this season as the nation’s career rolled off a car jack and onto your head as an infant.” Just two years removed from one of the fi nest leader in tackles for a loss with 61. That statistic Please explain. seasons for a defensive end in NCAA history, South shows how dominant you are behind the line of Florida defensive end George Selvie is looking to re- scrimmage. Do you take pride in being the career Selvie: Well, I was just a little kid outside, a one year claim his sophomore form this season; a sophomore leader in that category? old being bad – just hanging out. My cousin got in year where he amassed 59 tackles, 31.5 for a loss and the car; the car was on the jack and it fell off the jack 14.5 sacks. Selvie: Yeah, it’s a great feeling. I consider myself and onto my head. I have like an indent in my head a run stopper fi rst, so having those tackles for a loss and a scar on my left side [from the incident]. I don’t Last year, Selvie was reduced to just 43 tackles, feels good to me. I like getting in the backfi eld and remember it, I just hear stories, but it actually did 13.5 for a loss and 5.5 sacks; not exactly the kind of being disruptive; stopping a play before it has a happen. year he envisioned. When the season ended, it was chance to develop. time for Selvie to make a decision about his football CS: George, I think you’re lucky to be here today future. And after weighing his options and talking CS: The Big East Conference has come a long way don’t you think? with multiple people, he felt it was in his best interest over the years, and there are some really good pro- to stay at South Florida and improve his stock for grams that you guys play. How big of a challenge is Selvie: [Laughs.] Yes I am, I’m blessed. the NFL. it for you to go up against those teams on Saturdays? CS: What did you think when you heard that story? Chris Steuber: Why did you decide to stay at South Selvie: The Big East has always been known for its Florida for another year? great offensive players. This year they say the confer- Selvie: I heard it when I was young, so I didn’t really ence is down on superstars, but the Big East has al- believe it. At fi rst, I used to tell people that my mom George Selvie: I had some unfi nished business. I had ways been challenging. We’ve always had some great hit me with a car and she didn’t like that. I knew I a great sophomore season, and last year I didn’t have games playing on Thursday and Friday nights; it’s a had this scar on my head, but I really couldn’t believe the season I wanted. I haven’t won a championship tough conference. Everybody can beat everybody in it. That’s an amazing story though, a car falling on a yet, so I felt like I should come back for my senior the Big East, and this year they say it’s wide open. baby’s head and he’s still here to talk about it. year, have a better season, win a championship and And it’s wide open; there isn’t a front-runner in the go out on top. Big East. We’re looking to take advantage of that and CS: I came across another strange thing on you on we’re looking to be that front-runner in the Big East YouTube; it was you being hypnotized. CS: You did have an outstanding sophomore season and dominate. and collected 14.5 sacks. I’m sure that if you had a Selvie: [Laughs.] Oh man, I don’t want to talk about similar output last season, you would have entered CS: Take me back for a moment. I asked you about that. the NFL Draft. But you had just 5.5 sacks in 2008, staying at South Florida for your senior year, but how and you mentioned that there was some unfi nished close were you, if at all, to entering the NFL Draft? CS: Was that for real? business – can we expect a sack total this year that rivals your sophomore output? Selvie: I talked to my family and my coaches, and Selvie: [Laughs.] Yeah, it was for real. I actually got we were trying to fi gure out what was best for me. I hypnotized two years in a row at the bowl games. Selvie: That’s what I wanted to have, but it’s a lot of wasn’t really that close to entering the NFL Draft. I hard work to get back to what I did during my sopho- knew it wasn’t for me at that point. A lot of people CS: How did you get coaxed into that? more season. I tried last year, but I just didn’t get told me it was my best opportunity to just go and see there. We have a lot of great people on defense; we what happens, especially with the salary cap and all Selvie: The fi rst time I went on stage and just did it. have some good D-Linemen on the other side. I’m of that. But in the end it was my ultimate decision The second time I was in the crowd and it happened. sure I’ll get some attention at the beginning of the to come back to school. I graduate next month, I’ll I started breathing and relaxing and it just happens year [from the opposition], but hopefully other guys have my degree, I’ll go out there and play some good to you. can make some big plays, and then the focus will go football and hopefully I’ll get drafted next year. on everybody. That’s what I’m hoping will happen. CS: Do you remember what happened? CS: Did you apply for a draft grade from the NFL CS: What did the opposition do differently last year Advisory Board during the process? Selvie: I don’t really remember much of anything, – were they chipping on you or double-teaming you but I did see the videos and it’s pretty disturbing. more? What exactly did they do that didn’t allow you Selvie: I did, and Coach Leavitt talked to me about to have success? it, and he said it wasn’t too good. That’s all I had to CS: Luckily for you, the offensive tackles you face hear. on the fi eld don’t have that kind of power over you. Selvie: I got all of that. I got double-teamed, they had the tight end stay in and block, running backs were CS: That’s more motivation for you this season, isn’t Selvie: [Laughs.] Yeah. chipping, guards were coming out with tackles; I got it? a lot of double teams last year, but that’s no excuse. CS: Getting back to football, you weren’t highly You have to play the game, and that’s what I have to Selvie: Yes it is. recruited coming out of high school, and you didn’t do this year. They might throw that stuff at me again receive much attention at all. All of a sudden, you ex- this year, and I beat a couple of double teams and a CS: The 2009 draft was loaded with hybrids, guys plode on the scene and end up with this tremendous couple of triple teams last year. It’s hard to do that all who can play standing up or with their hands in the college career. Do you have a chip on your shoulder the time, so I just have to go out there and play hard. dirt. When I look at your frame and skill set, you fi t because you weren’t heavily recruited? the hybrid profi le very well. Where do you think you CS: What have you been working on this offseason, project best as an NFL player, OLB or DE? Selvie: There was [a chip on my shoulder] coming physically and mentally, that will prepare you for into college. Some of the teams we play, like West your senior season? Selvie: Oh, I really don’t know; it’s up to the scouts. Virginia and UCF, I got looked at by them [com- But I’d love to stand up and rush off the end a little ing out], but they didn’t offer me a scholarship. Selvie: Just being more physical; using my hands – bit, it seems kind of fun. Those guys get all of the Everybody said I was too small, but I was always a being more dominant with my hands. Most people sacks, guys like [DeMarcus] Ware and [Shawne] hard worker. I always knew that I would do well in college, regardless of what I did. Every time we play those teams, I jack it up for them.

CS: A guy that you remind me of, and I make this comparison with a lot of guys that have your size and athleticism, is Jevon Kearse. Is there a guy in the NFL right now that you pattern your game after?

Selvie: Yes there is, Dwight Freeney. I love watching Dwight Freeney; he’s a monster out there. He can hit double spin moves; he’s a shifty guy. He does whatever he has to do to get on the back of the quar- terback. I actually had the chance to meet him when the Super Bowl was in Tampa. That was a good time talking with him, and I got some pointers from him. I really appreciated that; he’s my idol in football. I really like him.

CS: Do you try to incorporate any of his game in your game, or is it just an admiration that you have for him?

Selvie: Yes, I watch him. I try to pattern my game after his. I can’t do it like he does it; it’s his game, but I try my best and I work hard at it. I try to put it out there on Saturdays.

CS: Speaking of Saturdays, from the time that you arrived at South Florida up until now, how has the football fan base transformed at USF?

Selvie: It’s changed a lot. When I fi rst arrived here, you couldn’t get your own parents to come to the game. That’s not the case now. The stadium is packed, at least 40,000 people now. Back then, I don’t know how many were there, but it was really empty. The stadium has grown, the fan base is really big; two years ago we were like the No. 1 fan base that grew, and it grew really big. It’s nice to have a real college atmosphere at the stadium now. It tells us that we’re moving up another level in college football.

CS: You guys have some good senior power coming back this season, and you face a tough Big East Conference. What do you expect from your team this year, and is there a bowl game in your future?

Selvie: Yeah, a bowl game is defi nitely in our future. But we just go out there and play hard. We have a lot of people coming back on offense; we have Matt Grothe back, a lot of receivers and a stable running back. On defense, we have some DBs and a lineback- er back. Our defensive line is stacked; we’re going to be good. We have a new defensive coordinator in Joe Tresey and an offensive coordinator in Mike Canales. They’re excited for this season, looking to open up their playbook and we’re just ready to get out there.

Senior defensive end George Selvie and USF Bulls want to fi nish what they start this season

By: Chris Harry With spring practice wrapping up — the Bulls’ spring Orlando Sentinal game is set for Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium — the right offseason attitude needs to be 04-10-09 in place.

TAMPA — By the time the letter came from the “When you have expectations, that usually means NFL, the fi rst two-time All-American in USF history you have made it, but it also means you have to swears his mind already was made up. meet those expectations,” Selvie said. “Sometimes that hard to do, but it doesn’t mean you don’t keep “I knew I was coming back,” George Selvie said. trying.”

The league’s advisory board that makes recommen- dations to underclassmen gauging their potential draft status wasn’t exactly fl oored by Selvie’s tape following his junior season.

An ankle sprain that plagued the beastly defensive end the better part of the fall made it even more diffi - cult to deal with the prosperity (and notoriety) Selvie enjoyed the fall of ‘07 when the Bulls vaulted into the national conscious (and rankings) and Selvie was named fi rst-team All-America after fi nishing second in the nation with 14 1/2 sacks.

His reward: double and triple teams.

His season: frustrating.

“Oh man, you have no idea,” Selvie said.

He fi nished with 5 1/2 sacks and a bunch of tackles for losses, good enough to make some All-America teams, mostly on reputation. Of more signifi cance, though, was the ground-hog day fashion the Bulls collapsed under the weight of expectations they stacked atop themselves from the season before.

Just like in ‘07 — when a six-game streak to open the season elevated USF to a No. 2 in the national rankings — the Bulls started hot, then did a second straight October meltdown, losing four of fi ve en route to a disappointing next-to-last fi nish in the Big East Conference with a 2-5 record.

USF ended the season with a 41-14 blowout of Memphis in the inaugural St. Petersburg Bowl to fi nish 8-5.

Selvie wasn’t about to walk away from his college career on such an overall unspectacular note. In fact, he wasn’t going to walk away at all.

“All last year, he talked about how much he wanted to win a championship at South Florida and how he wanted to keep a promise to his family and get a degree,” defensive line coach Kevin Patrick said. “Those were things, he said, that would last a lifetime.”

Regarding that championship, Selvie has just one more crack at it. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound senior came to spring drills vowing to do everything in his might to see that history does not repeat itself for the Bulls in ‘09.

“The last couple years, we win fi ve or six games and all of sudden it becomes like a job and we’re not hav- ing fun anymore,” Selvie said. USF’s Selvie a Playboy All-American again

By BRETT MCMURPHY Tampa Tribune 04-17-09

A year after George Selvie became the fi rst Playboy preseason All-American in University of South Florida history, the senior defensive end has become the school’s fi rst two-time Playboy All-American.

One of the oldest and most prestigious preseason All- America teams, Playboy’s 53nd annual team will be featured in the September issue, which is scheduled to hit newsstands in mid-August. The remainder of Playboy’s preseason All-America team is expected to be released in the next few weeks. Selvie considered leaving school after his junior season for the NFL Draft, but he opted to return this fall for his senior season.

As a sophomore, Selvie was a consensus All-Ameri- can and the Big East’s Defensive Player of the Year. As a junior, he earned All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association and was an All-Big East selection.

Selvie, 6 feet 4 and 245 pounds, enters his senior year as the NCAA’s active leader in career tackles for loss (61) and second in career sacks (25 1/2). NFL Draft 2010: Where is Selvie projected?

BY: Greg Auman St. Pete Times Packers as the Big East’s only fi rst-rounder. 04-29-09 -- Draft site Walterfootball.com has a ‘10 mock, with With analysis from this weekend’s NFL Draft dying Selvie going 20th to the Dolphins; Syracuse’s Jones down, some sites are already looking ahead to 2010 also cracks his fi rst round. and offering up extremely early mock drafts to get a sense of how next year’s fi rst round might look.

For USF fans, the question is where defensive end George Selvie will be taken -- having been projected as a potential fi rst-rounder last fall, Selvie opted to return for his senior year after being told by the NFL’s underclassmen advisory board that he didn’t necessarily project as a fi rst-day pick.

SI.com’s Andrew Perloff offers up what he calls an “absurdly early” 2010 mock fi rst round -- the most amusing thing at fi rst glance might be that he has the Buccaneers picking third overall. Perloff has Selvie going 26th to the Arizona Cardinals, which would make him USF’s second-ever fi rst-rounder, following cornerback Mike Jenkins in 2008.

Selvie is the only fi rst-rounder from the Big East in SI.com’s mock, with four Gators projected in the fi rst 17 picks -- corner Joe Haden, quarterback Tim Tebow, defensive end Carlos Dunlap and linebacker Brandon Spikes. In all, he has 13 SEC players in his projected fi rst round.

-- Fanhouse.com has Selvie sneaking into the fi rst round of its mock, going 30th -- kudos to them for not being so silly as to also project the draft order, since that’s a ridiculous challenge unto itself. Again, he’s the only Big East fi rst-rounder, but remember that not many of us thought much of Donald Brown this time last year, either.

-- ESPN.com’s Mel Kiper doesn’t have a mock fi rst round, but he’s ranked the top fi ve rising seniors at each position -- he has Selvie as the fourth-best defensive end. Only other Big East players in his top fi ves are Cincinnati QB Tony Pike (fi fth among QBs), Bearcats receiver Mardy Gilyard (third) and Syracuse defensive tackle Arthur Jones (fourth).

-- CBSsports.com’s Chad Reuter, identifying the top draft prospects for 2010, has Selvie listed among his “late fi rst-early second” prospects. He has Cincy’s Gilyard and Syracuse’s Jones as second-rounders, with Rutgers tackle Anthony Davis and Pittsburgh defensive end Greg Romeus among the top under- classmen who could potentially enter the draft.

-- NFLdraftsite.com has Selvie going seventh to the Raiders in its 2010 mock, and ambitiously has USF safety Nate Allen in the fi rst round, going 23rd. Al- len’s best play came in 2007 when he had two draft picks at cornerback in front of him, so he’ll have to show improvement from a quiet 2008 if he is to be drafted anywhere near the fi rst round. The site is crazy enough to project all seven rounds, and they have quarterback Matt Grothe as a fi fth-round pick. After seeing prolifi c college quarterbacks like Chase Daniel and Graham Harrell go undrafted this year, Grothe will have to show something this fall to be a draft pick.

-- NFLdraftdog.com puts Selvie 12th, going to the All-American George Selvie Highlights Distinguished List of USF Football Players Involved In Youth Impact Camp

By JORDAN LOPERENA PRISM Press Group 07-13-09

“They’re used to me now, they’re like ‘Ok, that’s George’.”

Those were the words of University of South Florida two-time First Team All-American George Selvie on the relationship he has formed thus far with partici- pants in the First Annual USF Youth Impact Program.

Do you know how many grown adults would like to have an “Oh, it’s just George” type of relation- ship with a two-time All-American Football player, let alone any Division I NCAA athlete? Those kids lucky enough to be involved with the USF Youth Impact Football Program have been provided the Alvarado also added, on a more personal note, that opportunity to do just that, and are apparently ap- he “had a lot of mentors in high school that helped preciating every moment of the experience. me when I was struggling with my grades and time management, so I know personally the impact it had “I like the program . . . I think it’s a really good on me having people that cared for me and tried to program getting kids [underprivileged] to come play lead me in the right direction . . . It’s going to end up football, do some learning during the summer ... and benefi tting them and being the best for them in the actually [have] us in the classroom to be there with end.” them and [teach] them,” says USF’s star defensive end. Alvarado’s personal experience truly seemed to highlight the impact that a program like this can have Selvie also talkes about the reaction the kids partici- on its participants - for, when speaking with him, I pating in the camp have had to this point, stating, “I couldn’t help but bring up the approaching kickoff see them really reacting to it and they love going out to the 209 football season, to which Alvarado was there and playing football.” “We can impact these quick to point out the goosebumps he got on his arms guys at a young age,” he continues. “Right now, from just talking about the program-changing games they’re looking at us, they see us on TV. Of course, of past seasons, exemplifi ed by the memorable 21-13 they like NFL players, but someone that’s already in victory over West Virginia in 2007. college, closer to their age, they really look up to us.” Bogan mentioned he felt things “started off a little As if Selvie’s comments on the camp didn’t praise slow, but we’ve got it back on track. It’s going really the Youth Impact Program enough, I had the opportu- well, everybody’s been loving the kids. They’ve been nity to talk with four other USF Football players who progressing day by day . . . They’ve been doing good also spoke very highly of the camp as well. Senior not only in football, but in the classroom [as well].” wide receiver Jessie Hester, safety Nate Allen, punter Delbert Alvarado and wide receiver Dontavia Bogan all had great things to say about their experience with the USF Youth Impact Program.

Hester, son of former NFL Wide Receiver Jessie Hester, Sr. noted about the Youth Impact Program, “It gives the kids a chance to interact and show them another side of life than what they’re living back home.”

When I asked Allen about his thoughts on the event, he responded similarly, commenting, “It’s been great giving these inner-city kids some good infl uence and just being mentors to them and showing them all the good opportunities that are out there, being able to give them something to do to stay out of trouble. It’s been really good so far.”

Alvarado mentions that he can “see the difference, that we help them to understand the importance of school, the importance of wanting to be an athlete, and the steps it takes to get there and I think a lot of them, for the most part, are really grasping it. In the end, it would be cool to look back and see some of these guys playing Division I football someday.” USF’s Selvie honored with Emmitt Smith Award

BY: Greg Auman St. Pete Times 07-15-09 USF senior defensive end George Selvie was recog- nized this weekend with the Emmitt Smith Athletic Achievement Award, a national honor awarded by the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.

The award, named for the former Gator and Cowboys running back who is the NFL’s career rushing leader, goes to a fraternity member who best combines athletic and academic success with fraternity and community involvement. The award, presented at the fraternity’s national conclave in New Orleans, carries with it a monetary scholarship as well.

The honor is especially signifi cant for Selvie because he hails from Pensacola, which is also where Smith was born and where he starred at Escambia High School. Selvie was a consensus All-American and Big East Defensive Player of the Year in 2007 after leading the nation in tackles for loss, and was a fi rst- team AFCA All-American and fi rst-team All-Big East selection last season. He enters his senior year as the nation’s active leader in tackles for loss.

Selvie’s national honor comes one month after he was honored with the Collegiate Hall of Fame Award by the southern region of Phi Beta Sigma. Here’s a good story from last year when the award and schol- arship were fi rst announced by the fraternity. Selvie has been active in helping with USF’s involvement in the Youth Impact Program, a four-week camp for at-risk middle schoolers on USF’s campus. Selvie, Witten on Hendricks watch list

BY: BRIAN BENNETT ESPN.com 08-06-09 South Florida’s George Selvie and Connecticut’s Lindsey Witten are among the preseason candidates for the Ted Hendricks Award, given to the nation’s top defensive end.

Selvie, a two-time All-American, will be a strong candidate to win the honor if he has a big senior season. Interesting that Witten makes it even though he’s never been a full-time starter. He obviously has the talent and potential that voters recognized.

It seems like I can never get through one of these award posts without wondering where the other Big East stars are, however. It’s hard for me to believe that Pitt’s Greg Romeus wasn’t nominated and Witten was. Romeus had 7.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss last year as a sophomore (compared to fi ve and six, respectively, for Witten) and only fi gures to improve. For that matter, Romeus’ teammate Jabaal Sheard could have been nominated.

These awards lists can evolve and change over the course of a season, and anyone putting up high sack totals will be recognized. Eventually. USF’s Selvie, Murphy on Nagurski Trophy list

BY: GREG AUMAN St. Pete Times 08-18-09 USF senior defensive end George Selvie has by himself kept the Watch List Watch List busy in recent years, and the latest list to list is the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which had Selvie as a fi nalist in his breakout 2007 season.

The Nagurski list is 62 players deep, and this year, Selvie has company in USF senior cornerback Jerome Murphy -- the award is for college football’s best defensive player at any position. There’s only one other Big East player on the list -- Syracuse defensive tackle Arthur Jones.

Only 11 schools have more than one player on the Nagurski list -- Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Penn State have three each to lead the way. The Big East has half as many nominees as the next lowest BCS conference -- the Pac-10, Big Ten and Big 12 have seven each, the ACC has nine and the SEC has 17.

To recap the watch lists to watch: Murphy’s on the Nagurski, Selvie is on the Nagurski, the Walter Camp, Bednarik, the Hendricks, the Lombardi and the Lott, and Matt Grothe is on the Maxwell, O’Brien, Unitas and Manning watch lists. Selvie is also likely to make the Butkus Award watch list, but that hasn’t been announced yet. There were no Bulls on recent watch lists for the Biletnikoff, Thorpe, Outland, Groza and Doak Walker awards. Selvie dents top spot in D-Line Rankings

By STEVE MEGARGEE Rivals.com

USF defensive end George Selvie still has a dent from the time a Buick rolled off a car jack and hit him in the head during his infancy.

He has spent the past two seasons causing similar dents in opposing quarterbacks.

Selvie delivered the type of results last fall that eas- ily ranked as the best single-season performance in USF’s brief football history. He led the nation with 31.5 tackles for loss and ranked second to Indiana’s Greg Middleton with 14.5 sacks.

That kind of season made Selvie our choice as the No. 1 defensive lineman in the Rivals.com College Football Power Rankings, which measure the na- tion’s top players and coaches at each position.

With two years of eligibility remaining, Selvie al- ready has 20 career sacks to tie the school record. He recorded 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks last season in an overtime upset of Auburn, and continued deliv- ering dominant performances the rest of the season.

We’re introducing our preseason power rankings on a position-by-position basis. We’ll continue Tuesday with the introduction of our linebacker rankings.

The rating of a player and coach can fl uctuate each week during the season depending on how they fared the previous week, but the power rankings measure overall career performances as well as their most recent results. Selvie Sets His Sights Even Higher This Season

By BRETT MCMURPHY Tampa Tribune 08-21-08

TAMPA University of South Florida DE George Sel- vie had one of the best individual defensive seasons in the history of college football last year.

He plans on being even better this season.

“I want like 20 [sacks] this year,” Selvie said. “That’s my goal for this year. Hopefully I get that.”

Last year, Selvie set school records in sacks (14 1/2 ) and tackles for loss (31 1/2 ) in earning consensus All-American honors. His 31 1/2 tackles for loss led the nation and was one shy of setting the NCAA record.

“I haven’t set a goal for tackles for loss, but I want the [NCAA] record,” the junior said. “I was that close to the record [last year]. It’s going to be hard getting back up there, but I’m going to try to get there.”

ODDS AND ENDS: Senior Jake Griffi n, of Arm- wood, is among 43 players on the Rimington Award watch list, signifying the nation’s top center. … Junior CB Theo Wilson and freshmen TE Andreas Shields, of Wharton, CBs John Lejiste and George Baker and LBs Quavon Taylor and LaDre Watkins still have not been cleared academically, Coach Jim Leavitt said. … After missing Wednesday’s drills with high blood pressure concerns, USF DL coach John Hendrick returned to practice Thursday. USF’s sack master Selvie looks for more

By BRIAN BENNETT ESPN.Com 08-22-08 and sustain my ground more.” And as his father taught him, it’s never time to quit. Everything can always be done better. George Selvie is neither the strongest nor the quick- est defensive end in college football. But few players “I know people are going to be coming after me,” he can match the motor on the reigning Big East defen- said. “But I don’t want to set my goals low. I want to sive player of the year. aim high.” Selvie is always revved up, from the fi rst whistle of practice to the fi nal snap of a game. His unsurpassed work ethic allowed him to lead the nation with 31.5 sacks and fi nish second in the country with 14.5 sacks.

For that, Selvie thanks his father, George Sr., a 20- year Navy man who brought military-style discipline to his family’s household.

“My dad always made us work hard,” Selvie said. “There was no sleeping in on Saturday morning. We had to get up at 7 a.m. and do chores, and when we fi nished by 2 p.m. we’d have to do yard work. He’d always fi nd something to keep us busy.

“It was ridiculous stuff, too. We had to clean things that were already clean. He’d say, ‘Aw, you can do it better. Everything can always be done better.’”

Those lessons stuck, and now the South Florida star is looking to improve on his sensational sophomore season. Selvie says his goal this year is 20 sacks, which would tie for the second-highest total in Divi- sion I-A since the NCAA offi cially started keeping those records in 2000.

That’s an especially lofty goal when you consider that every one of the Bulls’ 2008 opponents has probably already drawn up ways to stop him. They certainly did last season when Selvie morphed from a virtual unknown into a sack virtuoso. He had 8.5 sacks in the Bulls’ fi rst three games but managed only four in Big East play as teams made sure to throw double-teams his way.

“It was tough on me at fi rst when I started feeling it happening,” he said. “But then I realized that it’s not just me, it’s the whole defense. If I’ve got a double team, that just means somebody else is coming free.”

South Florida coach Jim Leavitt said he doesn’t mind if other teams occupy themselves with slowing Selvie.

“If they’re going to put a couple on George, then Ter- rell McClain or Aaron Harris or Jarrett Buie from the other side can make plays,” Leavitt said, referring to his other starting D-linemen. “George ain’t the only guy we got out there on defense.”

Selvie’s not going to just give in, though. He put on 15 pounds in the offseason to get himself up to 245. Now he has something else to use besides quickness and never-ending hustle.

“Last year, sometimes I’d be going against big guys like [former Pittsburgh tackle Jeff] Otah, and it would be easy for them just to give me a hand slap and I’d go fl ying outside,” he said. “This year, I should be more stout, play the run a little bit better South Florida bullish on defensive end Selvie

By JACK CAREY USA Today the strength and conditioning program, Selvie started 08-20-08 all 13 games at right end in 2006 and fi nished third on the team with 84 tackles, including 15 for loss and 5½ sacks. George Selvie has come a long way in a relatively short time as a college defensive end. He had eight stops, with 3½ behind the line, and a Imagine how good he could be once he really gets 9-yard fumble return for the go-ahead touchdown in the position down pat. USF’s upset victory at then-No. 7 West Virginia.

Last year as a sophomore, Selvie became the fi rst That helped him win Sporting News freshman consensus All-American in South Florida’s short All-America honors but was a mere warm-up for football history. He’s one of the most decorated and the outstanding numbers he posted last year, when productive returning players in the nation and heads he was a fi nalist for the Ted Hendricks Award and into the 2008 season as the national leader in career Nagurski Trophy and was named Big East defensive tackles for loss (46½) and is second in career sacks player of the year. (20). Selvie, who has spent time studying the play of Selvie led the nation with 31½ tackles for loss last Indianapolis Colts star end Dwight Freeney, says he season and was second in sacks with 14½. still has a lot of room for improvement.

All this, along with a motor that never seems to shut “I can get better at a lot of things: my footwork, my down, comes from a player who was recruited as a countermoves, speed rushing,” he says. “It was hard center and had one scholarship offer from a Division at fi rst to make the adjustment (to end). The coaches I-A program — the one he hopes to lead to a Bowl told me to just come out and get off the ball quickly Championship Series game this year. and just play.”

“I was a 215-pound center in high school,” Selvie Selvie will be a marked man this year, likely to see a says. “Everybody said I was too small.” lot of double-teaming and maybe even some triple- teaming. At 6-4, 245 pounds going into camp, Selvie has made a concerted effort this summer to add about seven or “They’re going to start teeing off and being very eight pounds, he says, to help his stamina. aware of him,” Leavitt says of opponents.

“Last year, I got worn down a little sometimes That means others on the line will have to step up, because I was too light,” he says. “They’ve got me but Selvie can help there, too. eating good stuff, vegetables and other good food.” “He’s gotten more verbal, more vocal since he was Selvie doesn’t anticipate losing any quickness with a younger,” Leavitt says. “And guys respond to him. few extra pounds, and that’s bad news for quarter- He’s the leader. There’s not much doubt about that.” backs.

Bulls coach Jim Leavitt said his star could excel at any weight at just about any position.

“He’s got a relentless attitude,” Leavitt says. “I think he would be successful if he was a center or a guard or a defensive tackle or a linebacker. He’s just a very unique guy.

“In 30 years of coaching, I have had very few players who have had that kind of maturity and attitude or been that driven. He’s just very effi cient.

“And we didn’t know he would be like that. I didn’t even want to move him, but I kept hearing from our defensive coaches that we didn’t have any ends.”

While playing at Pine Forest High in Pensacola, Fla., Selvie also got time on the defensive line and was voted a Class 3A second-team all-state selection.

He acknowledges he never expected things to come together this quickly in college.

“It has been amazing, especially since I was given only one scholarship offer,” he says. “I think when I got here I felt like I had something to prove.”

After redshirting during the 2005 season, when he won the team’s “overachiever” award for his work in Hopes Couldn’t Be Higher For Selvie And The Bulls By JOE HENDERSON Tampa Tribune the nation. He won a bunch of other awards. Even 08-29-08 with the slow fi nish, he fi nished second nationally in sacks. TAMPA - It started toward the middle of last season, This year, he wants more. right around the time the national media began to dis- cover the University of South Florida’s sack machine “I’d like to have 20 sacks,” he said. “I’ll put it up known as defensive end George Selvie. there, aim high, and if I don’t get it I can at least look for it.” The media wasn’t alone. He has done more than talk and set high goals. Opponents began to give him extra attention — shift- ing a tight end to his side, keeping a running back in “George is probably working as hard as I’ve ever to block him, that sort of thing. They tried basically seen him work, throughout the summer and in the anything to keep him from blowing up their passing weight room,” Bulls coach Jim Leavitt said. game. It worked. Better Prepared The numbers tell the story. Selvie had 11.5 sacks in USF’s fi rst six games — all wins. Basically, any offensive game plan against the Bulls has to account for Selvie fi rst and build from there. He had three sacks in the Bulls’ remaining seven How he handles that — and what he learned from games — they went 3-4. last year’s experience — will be a big factor in how far USF can go. “I didn’t know how to handle that, because it had never happened to me before,” he said. “They’ll do all sorts of things [against him],” Patrick said. “They’ll run away from him, run misdirections No one is remotely suggesting USF’s sluggish fi n- at him, give him extra blockers. This year he’ll see ish last year should be laid on Selvie, and it didn’t some double-teams, chip blocks, all of it. We’ve keep him from being the Bulls’ fi rst consensus talked a lot about that. All-American. Indeed, defensive coordinator Wally Burnham suggests, “George has turned into one of “But George is an athlete with a lot of composure, those special guys.” and he understands the game and expectations. He also understands that if teams pay too much attention As USF’s new season begins Saturday night with to him, it opens up for other players. They’re not go- a home game against Tennessee-Martin, though, ing to be able to double-team everybody.” Selvie’s goal is to recapture the magic of those fi rst six games. Most people are betting he will. So it begins — the most anticipated season in USF history. The Bulls have a preseason national ranking “As he refi nes his skills, I think he’ll get even better,” for the fi rst time, and expectations couldn’t be higher. defensive ends coach Kevin Patrick said. “I think he Not for them. Not for Selvie. can be a lot better. He’s a great college player, obvi- ously, but he’s still working hard to improve. He’s “It’s all about winning,” he said. “That’s all that a great person, too. He’s the type of guy you’d feel matters. We’re going to focus on coming out fast and comfortable introducing your kids to.” getting it going, then go from there. All I want to do is help my team win a championship. That’s what’s Missed The Playmates important. Everything else will take care of itself.” He also is what you’d call a “pure football” guy.

He was selected to the Playboy All-America team this year, which got him a summer trip to a resort in Phoenix with the other players for photos and a few days of socializing. Ponder this for a moment: red-blooded young college men, at a swanky resort, sponsored by Playboy.

So what happened?

“We just kind of relaxed, played games and stuff like that,” he said. “We just talked about football and each other’s teams and conferences.”

Oh, and there were no Playmates, either.

“I was kind of disappointed about that,” he said.

Selvie could match football stories with basically anybody there, though. He was the Big East Defen- sive Player of the Year. His 31.5 tackles for loss led Opposing teams run away from Selvie

By ALAN DELL Sarasota Herald/Tribune is crazy,” Williams said. “He never stops running and 09-10-08 is always constantly moving. Eventually, he is going to get those sacks, but other people on the defensive TAMPA - line have to step up and start making plays.” After two games last season, George Selvie had 5.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for losses. After three, he had Selvie led the nation in tackles for losses and fi nished 8.5 sacks and was on his way to becoming a fi rst second in sacks last season. He is way behind last team All-American. year’s pace and has had to change focus. Personal numbers have to take a back seat to the most im- Two games into this season, the University of South portant statistic, which is games won. But it won’t Florida defensive end is still looking for his fi rst sack stop him from trying to fi gure out how to exploit any and has one tackle for a loss. gimmick defenses he faces.

But the junior is playing better, according to his “They are just throwing a lot more people at me,” he coaches and teammates. The numbers are deceiving said. “Sometimes they run the ‘I’ and I move over and don’t tell the whole story. to a spot and then they run the ball the complete op- posite way. I want them to run the ball towards me, Teams are running away from the 6-foot-4, 242- but they are just doing stuff to keep me from making pounder, in some instances as far away as possible. plays.” Opposing quarterbacks are throwing the ball quicker and taking shorter drops. And then teams are always The Pensacola Pine Forest graduate is more than just doubling and sometimes triple-teaming him. a football player with unique physical skills. He is a student of the game and spends a lot of time studying Frustrating? depth charts and videos of players he has to go up against. You bet, Selvie says. But he is learning how to deal with might be called the collateral damage from his “When I study the depth chart, I look to see the ex- reputation. No opponent wants any part of him. perience of the guy I might be going against,” Selvie said. “I watch as much fi lm as I can to see what “It’s been frustrating. Getting sacks was a big thing kind of mistakes they are making and if I can take for me,” Selvie said. “But I learned the last couple of advantage of that.” games it really doesn’t matter how many I get as long as we win. When teams show extra attention to me, Burnham couldn’t be more pleased with Selvie’s other people are getting opportunities and making big work ethic and performance. But he wants to see plays. The bottom line. We are winning.” others take advantage of all the attention that goes his way. Selvie is learning how to maneuver through or around double-teams. He has gotten some good “I am still waiting on somebody. After two games, tips from USF defensive line coach Kevin Patrick. we need somebody to step up,” Burnham said. “(Ter- He was an All-American defensive end on two of rell) McClain had a real good game against UCF. It Miami’s national championship teams and knows a was the fi rst time he showed he was breathing out thing or two about playing football with a target on there. So we are happy with that. If he can give us a your back. big push in the middle it would help.”

“I went to coach Patrick for advice and he said that it’s going to be like this all year and get used to it,” Selvie said. “So I just decided to take it as it is and try to make plays off of what they do. My attitude is that I am just going to go out there and help my team win.”

Wally Burnham, defensive coordinator for the 19th- ranked Bulls, is more concerned about his other guys stepping up. He believes Selvie is handling things well.

“George is playing better then he did last year. He is taking on two blockers and a lot of times has just been a step away from getting a sack or tackle for loss,” Burnham said. “They are using special defen- sives on him and he is still grading out high on effort and technique.”

Bulls safety Carlton Williams, who might have the best close-up view of Selvie, feels he is playing lights out defense. He wants to see others take advantage of him getting so much attention.

“For someone to say George is not playing well, that A bad, bad Bull USF’s Selvie dangerous defensive threat By: DUGAN ARNETT KUSports.com “Absolutely,” said Reesing, asked whether he “I believe he can do it. I mean, Selvie’s a great player, 9-11-08 one of the best in the nation, so it’s not going to be easy. But I know Jeff is going to go out there and Since Jeff Spikes, Kansas University’s red-shirt work hard.” freshman offensive lineman, is currently preparing for the biggest challenge of his collegiate career, now Now, though, comes the real test. would probably not be the best time to bring to his attention the following pieces of information about Although Selvie hasn’t gotten off to a terrifi c start South Florida defensive end George Selvie, the man this season — he has yet to record a sack in two he will be charged with blocking come Friday: games — there is no denying the fact that he is a player Kansas cannot afford to ignore. He is a player 1. Selvie was the nation’s leader in tackles for loss in many believe to be the best defensive end in college 2007 with 31.5 and was second in sacks (14.5). football, and a player who, as a junior last season, described his childhood trauma to the St. Petersburg 2. He is part of a USF awards promotion campaign Times this way: “I was 1 year old, outside playing. touting him, with seemingly good reason, as the “The The car was on the jack, and my little cousin got in Baddest Man In College Football.” there. It fell on top of my head. That’s about it.”

3. When Selvie was an infant, a Buick rolled off a car “I’ve heard things from other teammates,” said jack and onto his head. The accident, according to the Spikes of Selvie. “Just the common things that you’ll South Florida media guide, left a dent in his noggin’ hear. But other than just studying him, and specifi - that remains to this day, but did not seem to affect cally saying ‘This is my opponent, and this is what him in any other way. I’m going to go against,’ I just study myself and try to do the best I can do in making myself better.” Despite the aforementioned snippets, however, Kansas coach Mark Mangino does not seem overly concerned with Spikes’ ability to stop the freight train that is George Selvie.

“Jeff Spikes will be fi ne,” assured Kansas coach Mark Mangino, who may or may not be aware of the specifi cs of the Buick incident. “I’m not worried about Jeff at all. He’s a competitor. He’s a tough kid, he’s a talented athlete. And Jeff is not going to back down from anybody.”

Which is good if you happen to be a fan of the Kansas football team, because perhaps no matchup Friday will be more important than the one between Selvie and Spikes.

It is no secret that more than a little success quarter- back Todd Reesing enjoyed last season can be attrib- uted to the play of all-American left tackle Anthony Collins, who provided ample time — and then a little more — for Reesing to maneuver in the pocket.

With Collins out of the picture, off to what fi gures to be a successful career as an offensive lineman in the NFL, the task of protecting Reesing’s blindside has been placed into the hands of Spikes, a 6-foot-6, 314- pound behemoth from Painesville, Ohio.

And never will that blindside be more in need of protecting than during Friday night’s 7 p.m. game at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.

Selvie headlines a defense that currently ranks fi rst in the nation in total defense — the Bulls have given up an average of just 161.5 yards of offense per game in ‘08 — and enters this week’s game having inter- cepted a pass in 13 of their last 15 games.

On Wednesday, Reesing — ever the consummate teammate — offered a vote of confi dence in the youngster, two days before the Jayhawks were sched- uled to play in their biggest game of the new season. USF’s Selvie almost didn’t make it past the age of 1

By: MIKE BERARDINO Sun Sentinal and coaches. Constant double- and triple-teams have slowed him at times during the Bulls’ 3-0 start, but 9-19-08 Selvie hasn’t let that stop him. TAMPA Defensive coordinator Wally Burnham says Selvie “played like a madman” in the Bulls’ stirring come- The reminder is clearly visible on the left side of his back win over Kansas last week. Plans are being for- scalp, where a permanent scar has bubbled up about a mulated to start moving Selvie around so he can get quarter-inch above the surface. back to terrorizing quarterbacks. Not that he needs much help. Burnham, who counts Florida State and George Selvie need only run a meaty hand across his South Carolina among his many stops, ranks Selvie head to grasp his good fortune. in the top fi ve of all defensive linemen he’s coached. “I could be dead right now,” says Selvie, the Uni- Selvie reminds Burnham of former Seminoles versity of South Florida’s All-America candidate at Reinard Wilson and Peter Boulware, but the best defensive end. “Or I could be alive with problems.” comparison might be former South Carolina star John Abraham. Like Abraham, now with the NFL’s Instead, Selvie is the one causing problems for op- Atlanta Falcons, Selvie (6 feet 4, 245 pounds) is a posing offenses, as Florida International will surely slender pass rusher with great closing speed. learn when he and the rest of the 12th-ranked Bulls visit Saturday. Even more than his physical gifts, Selvie has devel- oped leadership qualities during his time at USF. With his next sack the junior will become USF’s career leader, and he leads all active college players “He has really come out of his shell,” Burnham says. in career tackles for loss. “When he got here as a freshman, he was a real quiet, introverted country boy. Now he leads and he speaks And to think, Selvie easily could have had his life up and he gets excited. He’s really come a long way.” snuffed out before he ever got out of diapers. The moral of the George Selvie story? That’s simple, Selvie, 21, was a year old when he wandered into the Selvie says, fi ngering his scar. front yard of his grandfather’s home. George Lowery liked to work on cars in his spare time, and his latest “You can come through something like that and do project involved a Cadillac he’d placed up on blocks. anything you want,” he says. “It hasn’t held me back from anything. I’m in my right mind. I’m still alive. Somehow young Selvie — or George Jr., as everyone I’m just living my dream right now.” called him — wandered into the area just as the car rolled off. One wheel rolled onto the child’s tiny head.

“I don’t know what kind of Cadillac it was,” Selvie says. “I just know it was big.”

Incredibly Selvie not only survived the accident, he did so without suffering any damage beyond that ever-present scar.

The Pensacola product doesn’t remember the epi- sode, but he’s heard the story so many times from family members he can reconstruct it with ease. His mother Twana, an ordained minister, made sure Sel- vie understood how lucky he was, as did his father, a career military man.

“My mom always says it’s a miracle,” Selvie says. “I never thought anything about it until I got older. I was just like, ‘OK, a car hit me. That’s it.’ Now that I look back on it, I realize I’m really lucky.”

Selvie isn’t the only member of the Bulls’ defense to survive a life-threatening accident. Starting lineback- er Brouce Mompremier, a senior from Miami Edison, was struck by a speeding car near a school bus stop at 13 but walked away with than an ankle injury.

“I’m just happy to be playing football, and I’m sure he’s the same way,” Mompremier says. “We don’t take anything for granted. Even practice.”

Even as accolades mount for Selvie, he maintains a humility that makes him popular with teammates Selvie back to old ways

Tampabay.com 10-27-08

USF has its share of injuries to deal with in Thurs- day night’s game at Cincinnati, but defensive end George Selvie is back to his old self, racking up two sacks and four tackles for loss in Saturday’s loss at Louisville.

“He really played well last game,” USF coach Jim Leavitt said Monday. “That was the fi rst time I’ve seen him play to the level he had played (before spraining his ankle in a win at Florida International on Sept. 20).”

Despite missing parts of three games while injured, Selvie is now one half off the Big East lead in tackles for loss with 10, and is tied for third in the confer- ence with fi ve sacks.

“It was good going out there and actually playing a game like I want to ... trying to dominate a little bit,” Selvie said. “But we didn’t get the win, and without a win, it means nothing.” USF’s Selvie Undecided About Senior Season

BRETT MCMURPHY Tampa Tribune 11-11-08

TAMPA - University of South Florida defensive end George Selvie said today he will not make a decision whether to return for his senior year until after the Bulls’ season is over.

Projected as a fi rst-round NFL draft pick by ESPN. com, Selvie said he won’t even consider his future until after the Bulls’ bowl game.

“I won’t start thinking about it until after the bowl game,” Selvie said.

Before the season, Selvie said he took out an insur- ance policy through the NCAA that protects him if he suffers a career-ending injury. The policy was for only this season, but Selvie said he could renew it for next season if he returns.

Selvie will graduate in May.

“I don’t even worry about it [the NFL] right now,” Selvie said. “I just want to fi nish this season. I wanted a [Big East] championship, but now we have a chance to be best team in USF history [by winning 10 games].

“I just want to fi nish strong. If I fi nish strong, all that stuff [will] follow. I just want to play the best game I can for next three games and then make a decision at the end.”

Selvie has missed parts of three games with a high ankle sprain. He said he is fi nally 100 percent healthy. He had 35 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and fi ve sacks.

Last season as a sophomore, he led the nation with 31 1/2 tackles for loss – one shy of the NCAA record – and was second nationally with 14 1/2 sacks. Before the season, he said his goal was 20 sacks, but Selvie’s numbers are down because of constant double-teams and his ankle injury.

According to USF’s defensive coaches, Selvie has been double-teamed 44 percent of the time on pass plays this season and triple-teamed 9 percent.

“I wanted to have more plays [this season],” Selvie said. “I didn’t really get double teamed until the end of last year. I didn’t make as many plays as last year.

“That really doesn’t matter, as long as we win – which we haven’t done the last two games. I’m kind of disappointed in our performance this year. I got hurt; that’s not an excuse, I should be still perform- ing well.

“It’s still frustrating at times. I have to deal with it.” Rutgers will have hands full with Selvie

BY: KEITH SARGEANT App.com Still, despite missing parts of three games with an 11-12-08 ankle injury, Selvie’s 11 TFLs and fi ve sacks rank second and fourth, respectively, in the Big East. PISCATAWAY — Rutgers left tackle Anthony Davis offered nothing but high praise for George Selvie, the “George Selvie,” Schiano said, “is one of those All-American defensive end who he’ll likely block guys you hold your breath on. There’s some guys in against when the Scarlet Knights travel to South the National Football League that don’t want to go Florida on Saturday. against Selvie. I’ll tell you, he is that good.”

But Davis, an All-Big East caliber player himself, Schiano added that Selvie, who’s widely projected as made it clear he’s not shying away from the assign- a fi rst-round NFL Draft pick should he declare early ment, either. after the season, is “the quickest d-lineman” he can remember “off the ball.” “He’s a good player,” the 6-foot-6, 330-pound Davis said. “I think I’m good, too, so it’ll be fun.” “He is that quick,” Schiano said. “Not just on the pass. He’s good in the run game, too. He’s some- Whether Davis draws the matchup exclusively, how- thing.” ever, is unclear since Rutgers coach Greg Schiano was non-committal when asked Wednesday if Selvie merits a double-team.

“You better know where he is,” Schiano said of South Florida’s 6-4, 295-pound junior right end. “He’s a disruptive force. You better have some dif- ferent ways (to block) because he’s a smart player in addition to being a physically-gifted one.”

If Schiano gleans anything from how other teams block Selvie, chances are Rutgers will not only send multiple linemen at Selvie in the pass game, it’ll run to the right most of the time.

According to a stat released by South Florida, oppos- ing offenses have run away from Selvie 80 percent of the time and have double- or triple-teamed the defending Big East Defensive Player of the Year 54 percent of the time on pass plays.

That hardly surprises Schiano. “He’s one of the best in the country — if not the best passer rusher in the country,” Schiano said. “So it’s a huge challenge. There are certain things you can do to try to help your guys but in the end you’ve still got to try to block him. We need to be very aware of where he is all the time.

“If you commit too much help to George, the other guys are good players as well. It’s probably going to be against Anthony (Davis) most of the time, but they’ll move him around, too.”

To that end, even right tackle Kevin Haslam antici- pates he may go against Selvie at times.

“There’s probably a good chance of it,” the Knights’ 6-7, 295-pounder said. “He’s athletic, he’s fast, he’s active. You watch him on fi lm and he just makes plays.”

Just not as many as last season.

The fact that opponents have designed various schemes to slow down Selvie is a reason why his statistics are down from last season, when he led the nation with 31-1/2 tackles for a loss (one shy of an NCAA record) and fi nished second nationally with 14-1/2 sacks. Selvie Named All-American

BY: GREGG BECNEL Tampa Tribune 12-5-08

TAMPA - University of South Florida junior DE George Selvie became the school’s fi rst two-time All- American when he was tabbed a fi rst-team selection by the American Football Coaches Association on Thursday.

“Nobody deserves it more than George,” Bulls coach Jim Leavitt said. “It’s a huge honor for not only George Selvie, but for the University of South Florida football program. ... He’s a class act.”

A year after becoming USF’s fi rst consensus All- American with 31.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks, Selvie’s production this season - 11.0 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks - dropped off considerably because of a nagging ankle injury.

“What an honor,” Selvie said. “This one has special meaning because it is the coaches that vote on the award. To gain their recognition for a second con- secutive season is more than I ever envisioned.”

READY TO RUN? Despite their recent success against West Virginia, the Bulls know not to take anything for granted heading into Saturday’s regular- season fi nale - especially with senior QB Pat White leading WVU’s quick-strike offense.

“It’s a challenge,” LB Tyrone McKenzie said. “Pat White’s a great quarterback who is going to get after you. He’s going to run around.”

White, the NCAA career QB rushing leader with 4,385 yards, is one of several offensive threats that will keep USF busy.

“I think one of the things that you have to gameplan for as a player is to just cut down on an actual meal during the week when you play West Virginia,” McKenzie said, “because you’re going to be running the entire game.” Hard works pays off with record game

By BRENDAN GALELLA, stop them, and that was great.” St. Pete Times September 2, 2007

TAMPA - Defensive end George Selvie did his part to justify all of the hype about the Bulls entering the 2007 season. With Elon in prime position to score, the sophomore ended one drive by forcing a fumble and caused the Phoenix to settle for a fi eld goal on another.

“George is great. We had some individuals that had a great night, and George is one of them,” coach Jim Leavitt said. “This was a game where a few individuals stood out.”

Selvie matched Shurron Pierson’s single-game sack record with four and broke a record for tackles for loss that he shared with three others, recording six.

The dominating eff ort was nothing new for Selvie, who was named a Sporting News freshman All-American last season.

His four sacks leave him just one and a half shy of his mark in 2006.

Selvie said his primary focus during the summer training camp was creating pressure on the quarterback.

“All the off season work I’ve been doing on my pass-rush came together tonight,” Selvie said. “I just played relentless football; you have to play like that.”

After a botched punt attempt by Justin Teachey, who dropped the snap, allowed Elon to regain possession on the USF 16-yard line, the Phoenix was only able to gain 1 yard on its next two plays. Selvie kept points off the board on the next play.

Quarterback Scott Riddle dropped back to pass, and the pocket surrounding him collapsed. Selvie closed in, wrapped around him and knocked the ball loose. Teammate Jarriett Buie recovered the ball.

“He played ridiculous tonight. He just kept coming out on top,” defensive lineman Richard Clebert said. “It was a great eff ort by the entire defensive line, and that’s because coach (Dan) McCarney is a great coach.”

As a team, Elon managed 74 rushing yards on 30 attempts, just 2.5 yards per carry. Selvie’s nine tackles were just one short of his personal record of 10, set against Cincinnati a year ago.

In the third quarter, Selvie recorded two of his sacks on third down. One caused Elon to punt, and the other forced the Phoenix to settle for a fi eld goal after having a fi rst-and- goal situation from the8-yard line.

Selvie’s performance even took him by surprise.

“I wasn’t expecting all that, but I love it. It was better than what I expected for myself,” Selvie said. “We were able to Selvie Easing Into Role

By BRETT McMURPHY “I didn’t do much,” Selvie said. “I just watched everyone else The Tampa Tribune practice.” Sept. 7, 2007 After moving to center, Selvie was second on the Bulls’ TAMPA - As a freshman last season, George Selvie would depth chart, but then Leavitt decided he needed Selvie’s get so agitated he would take medicine to calm his stomach. talents back on defense.

“I got nervous before every game,” he said. “I had to take a “I was like ‘move again?’” Selvie said. “But if it helps the lot of pills to calm down, some Pepto Bismol pills.” team win, I’ll do it.”

This season, the University of South Florida defensive end Defensive coordinator Wally Burnham was glad to have feels more at ease. Instead, it’s opposing quarterbacks who Selvie back. might be suff ering from anxiety. “He’s a runner and a hitter,” Burnham said. “He plays with a In last week’s season opener against Elon, Selvie had a defensive attitude, and that’s hard to get sometimes - a guy school-record six tackles for losses - including a school whose motor runs all the time. record-tying four sacks - and he caused a fumble. “If he could ever get some weight on him and get up to When he’s bearing down on a quarterback, Selvie said he is about 255 or 260 pounds he would be as good as a lot of thinking “please don’t throw the ball.” people I’ve been around or anybody else has been around.”

“My eyes get wide, it’s a great feeling,” he said. “We practice The 6-foot-4, 245-pound Selvie started slowly last season, a little tomahawk move [to strip] the ball on the quarter- but he fi nished strong. In the upset at No. 7 West Virginia back. That paid off on Saturday.” last season, Selvie had eight tackles and returned a fumble for a touchdown in earning national Defensive Player of the Selvie initially came to USF as an off ensive lineman, but Week honors. Coach Jim Leavitt’s decision to move Selvie to defense has paid off . He hopes to help the Bulls pull off another upset at No. 17 Auburn on Saturday. “We wanted to give him some work at center, to see what he could do,” Leavitt said. “What we found out, he was one “It would be big for the program,” Selvie said. “A win against of our best centers, but we had other guys that we could an SEC team that’s ranked right now -- if we win it will be play at center and be successful. huge win.”

“We didn’t think we could replace him at defensive end. Selvie, who put on about 15 pounds from last season yet Why he’s so good is his heart, his character, his focus. He improved his speed, said being an off ensive lineman his always tries to get better.” entire life helps him at defensive end.

Since Selvie was 9 years old playing in the youth leagues, “I know what they’re going to try to do, they’re trying to get he has been an off ensive lineman. That is, when he was inside hands,” Selvie said. “You have to knock them down. allowed to play. They’ll try to protect the quarterback at all costs.”

In his fi rst season of football, he only played in three of 10 games because he exceeded the weight limit.

“I was a little chubby when I was a little kid,” Selvie said. “But in middle school I hit a growth spurt and got taller.”

At Pensacola Pine Forest, Selvie said his high school coach Jerry Pollaro referred to him as “the skinniest guy in high school that wanted to play on the off ensive line.”

“He’d say, ‘everyone else [your size] wants to play running back and fullback,’ “ Selvie said. “But I just wanted to play on the off ensive line.”

Selvie earned high school all-state honors at center - “that’s all I wanted to play in college,” he said - and he didn’t start on the defensive line. Yet when he arrived at USF, he was immediately moved to defensive end. Center of Attention

By Steve Megargee When Selvie played defensive end during Pine Forest’s practices, manding methods of new USF defensive line coach Dan McCarney, Rivals.com he occasionally would line up against Johnson, who saw enough who had spent the past dozen seasons as Iowa State’s head coach. potential in Selvie that he also tried talking the Alabama coaching The most prolifi c pass rusher in the nation always fi gured he’d be staff into signing him. McCarney has helped Selvie make the transformation from promis- snapping the ball to quarterbacks instead of chasing them. ing freshman to legitimate star. “His body type is misleading because he kind of looks like a basket- So did his coach. ball player, but if you really look at how much he bench-presses and “Last year as a redshirt freshman, I was just getting in the groove squats, all the muscle mass is there,” Johnson said. “He’s just never of things,” Selvie said. “It’s just a matter of going out and playing USF sophomore George Selvie moved to defensive end only because been a bulky type of guy.” football and not being afraid to mess up. I’m going out there and the Bulls believed the switch gave him the best chance to contribute having fun.” immediately. He now leads the nation with 8.5 sacks through his Only USF had the foresight to off er Selvie a scholarship and see how fi rst three games of the season. his game might develop once he added some muscle to his lanky His success doesn’t surprise Johnson, who has remained close 6-4 frame. And not even Selvie himself could have predicted he’d be friends with Selvie two years after their high school. Johnson “I really think his best position is center,” USF coach Jim Leavitt said. this good this soon. watched his old Pine Forest teammate at USF’s 24-7 PapaJohns.com “In high school he was tremendous there. He could have come in Bowl triumph over East Carolina last year in Birmingham, Ala. And and played center for us and handled the football really well. He After being redshirted in 2005 and winning a team award for Johnson estimates he left about 15 voice mails for Selvie during gets up on the linebackers and does a lot of good things there.” overachieving in the Bulls’ strength and conditioning program, USF’s 26-23 overtime victory over Auburn, which Johnson’s parents Selvie started all 13 games last season and ranked fourth in the Big attended. Just about every quarterback in the nation would love to see Leavitt East with 15 tackles for loss. move Selvie back to off ense, but it’s too late now. The guy who “I had to block him a few times in high school and knew what kind moved around for much of his childhood fi nally has found a home “It’s a blessing,” said Selvie, now at 245 pounds. “I am surprised. I of talent he had and what he was capable of,” Johnson said. “We on the defensive line. didn’t think I’d come out this fast and have this much of an impact.” tried to get college recruiters to fi gure it out. Luckily South Florida did, and they’re getting a lot of payback for it.” “I wanted to play off ense in college,” Selvie said. “Now I love Perhaps it shouldn’t have come as such a shock. defense.” Selvie’s current teammates also appreciate him. Selvie’s father served 20 years in the U.S. Navy as part of a career “I’m excited and happy for him because Selvie works so hard,” USF But it wasn’t his fi rst love. that led the family to move four times during Selvie’s childhood nose tackle Richard Clebert said. “Twenty-four/seven. You see the before they settled in Pensacola. All those changes of address forced way he plays in a game, that’s the way he is in practice.” Selvie signed with USF as a lightly recruited off ensive lineman. Selvie to learn how to adapt to new surroundings. No wonder he He enjoyed playing a position that suited his unselfi sh approach adjusted so quickly to the college game. Conventional wisdom indicates Selvie shouldn’t have too much of to the game. Pensacola (Fla.) Pine Forest High coach Jerry Pollard an impact against West Virginia, which has run the ball 72 percent still remembers the day Selvie walked into his offi ce as a 6-foot-1 In the second game of his USF career, Selvie matched a school re- of the time this season while boasting the nation’s second-ranked freshman. Pollard fully expected someone with Selvie’s combination cord by collecting fi ve tackles for loss in a 21-20 victory over Florida rushing attack. But Selvie’s performance against the Mountaineers of size and athleticism to ask to play quarterback, running back, International. He broke that record and tied another school mark last year shows that he’s much more than a pass-rushing specialist. linebacker or some other glamour position. Pollard instead heard earlier this month by recording six tackles for loss and four sacks this son of a military man continually saying “Yes, sir,” and “No, sir” in a season-opening 28-13 triumph over I-AA Elon. Selvie had fi ve “I consider myself a run stopper,” Selvie said. “I love playing the while volunteering to play center. tackles for loss again last Saturday in a 37-10 rout of North Carolina. run better than playing the pass because I love to be physical. … Football’s not about fi nesse. It’s about hitting people in the mouth.” “That was very impressive to me,” Pollard said. “You normally don’t “He’s one of those explosive guys you make sure you get a hat on get kids with his makeup coming here and telling you stuff like that. and not let him disrupt you,” West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez Each time Selvie hits someone in the mouth, all those college They’re all quarterbacks the fi rst day.” said, “because he can be very disruptive.” recruiters who ignored him should consider it a slap in the face.

Selvie relished the challenge of lining up against guys who were Rodriguez knows that as well as anyone. 50-75 pounds heavier, but his lack of size hurt him during the recruiting process. Selvie said USF was the only Division I school to Selvie fi rst made a national name for himself last November when off er him a scholarship. USF traveled to West Virginia. Selvie scored on a 9-yard fumble re- turn and collected eight tackles – 3.5 behind the line of scrimmage It didn’t help that hurricane season hit the Florida Panhandle so – in the Bulls’ 24-19 upset of the seventh-ranked Mountaineers. hard during Selvie’s senior year that Pine Forest played only eight games despite advancing to the playoff s. The shortened schedule “It really did a lot for our confi dence,” Selvie said. “They were No. 7 limited Selvie’s opportunities to impress college recruiters. in the nation then, it was the last game of the season (for USF) and they were possibly going to a BCS game, so we knew then that we Pollard tried his best to get college coaches to give Selvie a second could play against any team in the nation.” look. When Alabama coach Mike Shula recruited Pine Forest off ensive lineman Mike Johnson – a former four-star prospect who Both teams have even more at stake in Friday night’s rematch. now starts at right tackle for the Crimson Tide – Pollard joked that WVU is undefeated and ranked fi fth in the nation with legitimate Shula would have to fi re his off ensive line coach in a couple of years hopes of playing for the national title. No. 18 USF also owns a for not pursuing Selvie as well. perfect record and will be playing in front of its fi rst home sellout crowd since the Bulls moved into the 65,567-seat Raymond James As it turned out, Shula himself was fi red. Stadium in 1998.

“Their off ensive line coach didn’t think George was big enough,” “This is the game of the century for South Florida,” Selvie said. Pollard recalled. West Virginia has reason to believe it has learned quite a bit about Neither did just about anyone else. It’s tough to blame Alabama or how to stop Selvie. During the off season, the Mountaineers hired any other school for overlooking Selvie. After all, how many big- two former USF assistants – off ensive coordinator Rod Smith and time programs pursue centers who weigh 230 pounds? off ensive line coach Greg Frey – who ought to have fi rst-hand knowledge of the Bulls’ defense. Then again, Selvie also has learned Selvie’s teammates knew better. a thing or two during the past year. He has adapted well to the de- Selvie’s Story a Simple One

(AP) -- The nation’s leader in sacks doesn’t have a compel- years ago with his heart set on earning playing time as an ling story to tell about how he wound up playing for No. 18 off ensive lineman. South Florida. ``We wanted to give him some work at center to see what It was simple, really. The Bulls called and George Selvie was he could do. What we found out, he was one of our best more than happy to listen. centers, but we had other guys that we could play at center and be successful,’’ Leavitt said. ``I got recruited by D-II (Division II schools) and South Florida was my only D-I off er,’’ Selvie said. ``I wanted to play ``We didn’t think we could replace him at defensive end. D-I football, so I came to South Florida.’’ Why he’s so good is his heart, his character, his focus. He always tries to get better.’’ The decision has worked out nicely for the 6-foot-2, 245- pound defensive end, as well as coach Jim Leavitt, who had Selvie’s progress is easy to see. He started 13 games as a a hunch the former high school off ensive lineman had the redshirt freshman a year ago, fi nishing with 15 tackles for ability to make an impact on the other side of the ball. losses and 5.5 sacks.

Selvie leads the nation in sacks (8.5) and tackles for losses Teammates say he deserves all the attention he’s receiving (15) heading into Friday night’s Big East showdown against as the Bulls climb in the national spotlight. fi fth-ranked West Virginia. He had a breakout game last season when he made eight tackles and returned a fumble ``I’m excited and happy for him because Selvie works so for a touchdown to help the Bulls upset the Mountaineers hard. ... You see the way he plays in a game, that’s the way 24-19 in Morgantown. he is all the time,’’ nose tackle Richard Clebert said. ``He pushes me. I can’t wait until teams start double-teaming ``It really did a lot for our confi dence. They were No. 7 in the him so I can get up on the sacks.’’ nation then, it was the last game of the season and they were possibly heading to a BCS game, so we knew then that we could play against any team in the nation,’’ Selvie said.

USF (3-0) received votes in The Associated Press preseason poll for the fi rst time this summer and made its initial appearance in the Top 25 last week. The largest crowd for a home game in the program’s 11-season history is expected Friday night.

``They say that we are building tradition right now, even though we already have some guys who have built tradition in the past when they were 9-2 one season. ... Now we’re building, winning, beating ranked teams, getting ranked and building onto tradition,’’ Selvie said.

``I hope 10 years from now they will be No. 1 in the country, and I will be sitting in the stands watching.’’

For now, he’ll settle for spearheading a speedy and suff ocat- ing defense with a growing reputation for giving explosive off enses fi ts. The Bulls upset Louisville two years ago and were successful in slowing down West Virginia’s dynamic duo of Steve Slaton and Patrick White last season.

``He’s very quick off the ball. He’s got a knack for making plays. He made a lot of plays against us last year,’’ West Vir- ginia coach Rich Rodriguez said of Selvie. ``He’s one of those explosive guys you have to make sure you get a hat on and not let him disrupt you because he can be very disruptive.’’

Selvie had four sacks, six tackles and caused a fumble in South Florida’s season-opening win over Elon. A week ago, the Bulls limited North Carolina to 164 yards total off ense, with Selvie notching three of the defense’s four sacks.

Not bad for someone who showed up on campus three Selvie Has Become USF’s Grinch

Martin Fennelly fi nished with four tackles for loss for 21 1/2 on the season, Rutgers for a nationally televised game, and another look The Tampa Tribune breaking a USF record. And there’s half a season left. at Rutgers runner Ray Rice, who put 202 yards on USF last October 14, 2007 season in Tampa. And to think, this kid came from Pensacola as a center. TAMPA - You have to go pretty far back to fi nd the last time Rutgers could remake its season with a win over USF. someone got the better of George Selvie, the South Florida It’s true. Until USF coaches said otherwise, Selvie dreamed It could steal some headlines from Leavitt’s thundering herd. defensive end and pass-rushing hellcat who leads the of seeing the college football world from between his legs. nation in sacks. Now it’s at his feet. George Selvie can’t wait to watch Rutgers fi lm. The only fi lm he can do without is that hypnotist thing last year. Certainly it wasn’t Saturday, as Selvie and South Florida ‘It’s good leading the nation in sacks,’ Selvie said. annihilated Central Florida, 64-12. How’d this game get on ‘I don’t need to see that anymore,’ Selvie said. the schedule, anyway? Selvie is a perfect kid for USF coach Jim Leavitt. He doesn’t fl ap his gums and has come from nowhere to the top of the He still has his arms fi lled with sacks. Saturday was more of the same for the third-year mountain, just like the Bulls. sophomore and All-American candidate, including a true It’s good to be the Grinch. ESPN moment, a lightning-quick strike where Selvie forced The 6-foot-4 Selvie doesn’t even look like a pass rusher. He a fumble by knocking the ball loose during a handoff weighs 230 pounds. Though he benches 375 pounds, the exchange. He beat the runner to the quarterback. guys he faces are always bigger.

That’s fast. ‘There are quarterbacks who weigh more than me,’ Selvie said with a grin. ‘George is the man right now,’ Bulls off ensive lineman Walter Walker said. He makes up for that.

But one night ... ‘He’s explosive and fast,’ USF defensive line coach Dan McCarney said. It happened last season during USF’s trip to the Papajohns. com Bowl. The Bulls took a trip to a Birmingham comedy One more thing. club, where a comedian-hypnotist talked some players onto the stage and made them very, very sleepy. ‘He’s relentless,’ Leavitt said.

George was one. ‘You’ve got to be relentless,’ Selvie said.

‘The guy had George pretending to be the Grinch,’ USF It’s good being relentless. receiver Taurus Johnson said. You know, the one who stole Christmas. George even wore a little Grinch hat. He only played one year of defensive line in high school, and then only on third down. He has learned moves from USF ‘George is up there, slinking around corners, pretending to teammates and watches guys he likes in the NFL. He has a steal presents,’ Johnson said. favorite.

‘Yes, it happened,’ Selvie said. ‘I didn’t believe it until I saw ‘Dwight Freeney on the Colts,’ Selvie said. ‘I just like the way the fi lm.’ he plays. He hit a double move the other night. Wow, I wish I could do that. My legs are kind of long ... I might trip over ‘He’s still a Grinch,’ Walker said. ‘George is making off with my feet ... but one day you might see a double spin.’ all the sacks.’ Selvie made a name late last season in USF’s upset at West All-American Season Virginia with eight tackles and a fumble return for a touch- down. The key to that game, he insists, was West Virginia Six games into a still perfect USF season, with the fi rst BCS fans making fun of his mother by name. standings due out today, and Selvie, undersized, all arms, legs and size 14 feet, is standing tall. ‘That was it,’ Selvie said. ‘It was on.’

You want yards? It still is.

He wants you. Rutgers Awaits

Grinch indeed. UCF was no match for the Bulls. The Knights gained only 145 yards, getting only 55 from Kevin Smith, who was the USF has never had a Division I-A All-American. Selvie is on nation’s leading rusher. track. He’s in everyone’s backfi eld. Saturday, on the game’s second play, he had a sack. That’s 11 1/2 for the season. He The order gets taller on Thursday night. USF travels to Center of attention - USF’s Selvie morphs from O-Line to hard-hitting DE

Aditi Kinkhabwala now at least. SI.com October 17, 2007 Selvie’s put on 20 pounds (and when someone off -handedly says that 235 is still kind of skinny for an end, he yelps, “Do USF coach Jim Leavitt’s craggy and he’s crabby. He’s not into you know how hard it is to put on weight?”). He’s ready to sound bites and he’s not into smiling pretty. And George Sel- admit that the picture of him as an off ensive lineman is a bit vie says it’s all fake. “Coach is really a good guy,” Selvie swore. odd (“When I see fi lm of myself doing that now, I think, ‘Oh “He’s fun -- really.” my God. That’s crazy’ “). And he’s almost ready to kick the pre- game Pepto-Bismol habit. (“I still get a nervous stomach”). Yeah, well, Leavitt’s the guy that told Selvie quarterbacks are yummy. Obviously the kid’s going to think he’s fun. Three He’s fast and he’s explosive and he may be as much of a run- years ago, Selvie was a 6-foot-4, 215-pound center. His stuff er as he is a disruption to the pass game. He has 21.5 high school coach in Pensacola, Fla., had tried to make him tackles for loss and no one since Rutgers’ Ray Rice -- whose a quarterback, or even a receiver. But Selvie had insisted on 202 yards in the teams’ last meeting was the last time a back playing off ensive line, and when Leavitt came to see him, the managed a triple-digit game against the Bulls -- has been one-time defensive back and defensive coordinator saw ... a able to run on the perimeter against South Florida. center. Of course, Leavitt thinks Selvie’s best position is still probably “I thought he’d be a good center,” Leavitt said, refusing to center, that he could be one of the country’s best. To which even jokingly brag about the foresight he had, or the genius Selvie says, “Well, we’re not going to fi nd that out anytime he is. Because, see, last year Leavitt needed a defensive end, soon.” he threw Selvie there and today, Selvie is the country’s big- gest quarterback-chomper. The sophomore has 11.5 sacks, What we’re all going to fi nd out about Thursday is South Flor- another eight hurries, and last week he was in Central Flori- ida. The Bulls have won at Auburn and beat West Virginia at da’s backfi eld, stripping the quarterback -- on a handoff . home, and in a conference with four ostensible Heisman can- didates, quarterback Matt Grothe is the leading contender for Selvie and South Florida, the biggest surprise in a wild sea- Off ensive Player of the Year. USF has a pair of corners, Mike son, are No. 2 in the nation and come storming into Piscat- Jenkins and Trae Williams, that Rutgers coach Greg Schiano away, N.J., to take on Rutgers Thursday night. The Scarlet -- a former NFL secondary coach -- said will play on Sundays. Knights have one of the least-sacked quarterbacks in football And they’ve got another All-America candidate in linebacker and if Leavitt really gets to make a truth-teller out of Selvie, Ben Moffi tt. it’ll probably be because Selvie got his coach to smile. And yet, even with all that, and even though No. 1 Ohio State “I can make Coach smile. Because he’s right,” Selvie said with and No. 3 Boston College have a zero wins against BCS top a laugh. “Hitting the quarterback is fun.” 20 teams, the Bulls’ lack of pedigree has the snobs out in full force. First the coaches gave more votes in their poll to It wasn’t always that way for this “Yes, Sir” son of a Navy man. Auburn than they did South Florida, after South Florida had Selvie was taught to protect fi rst; from the time he was a kid beaten Auburn. Then Alabama coach Nick Saban derided (“I was a chubby little boy,” he said), he played off ensive line. the school’s academic credentials, saying, “there are six guys His dad wanted him to play basketball, but he didn’t like starting on South Florida’s defense who probably could have shooting baskets. His friends wanted him to play running gone to Florida or Florida State, but Florida and Florida State back, but he didn’t like scoring touchdowns. As center he couldn’t take them.” got to touch the ball fi rst and that’s all the glory Selvie ever wanted. And last week, Jimmy Johnson, from his perch on Fox’s NFL Sunday Show, said the Bulls “don’t deserve to be up there” “On off ensive line, I got to block somebody and hit somebody and that he’s “got a bunch of teams that’s got two losses that in the mouth on every play,” he said. “When you’re the run- will wear them out.” ning back, you have to take hits. On off ensive line, you get to give hits.” For all the chatter this week about South Florida’s meteoric rise, this really isn’t an out-of-nowhere story. Sure, football Selvie never thought about dishing out hits on defense, only came to campus in 1997. And yes, it’s been just six years though. He might’ve gotten a scholarship to at least one oth- since the Bulls began playing Division I football and just er school besides South Florida if he had. But he didn’t. So he three since their coaches got an actual building -- instead went to Tampa and on the fi rst day of practice, when Leavitt of trailers - for their offi ces. But Leavitt’s been on campus, was lean at end and deep at center, he amiably switched his coaching the same system, working the same way, from the jersey, thinking the whole time, “he’ll move me back to of- start. He turned down Alabama’s off er in 2003 and, two years fensive line.” later, Kansas State’s, and he does know a thing or two about vision. Leavitt did, midway through that redshirt year. But then in the spring Selvie was back on defense, he muttered at the He did, after all, turn Selvie into a defensive end. coach “this is going to be the last time” and it has been. For Selvie Recounts Childhood Scare

By Greg Auman ST. Pete Times Nov. 7, 2007

TAMPA - George Selvie’s season - leading the nation with 13.5 sacks, setting a Big East record with 27.5 tackles for loss - is already an incredible story, all by itself.

Did you know about, as he puts it, the dent in his head?

Selvie, 20, has a scar extending up from the left side of his forehead, with a sizeable bump to match. It’s an under- standable reason why he hasn’t joined in the parade of Bulls wearing Mohawks this season. The story behind it?

“I was 1 year old, outside playing,” the sophomore defensive end from Pensacola said Tuesday, rather matter-of-factly. “The car was on the jack, and my little cousin got in there. It fell on top of my head. That’s about it.”

Selvie’s mother, Twana, can laugh now, if only because her son’s recollection isn’t completely accurate. She said her father was working under the car’s hood on the carburetor when George’s young cousin, playing inside the car, knocked it out of park, allowing it to roll back and pinning him under it.

Pregnant with George’s sister Heather, Twana rushed over when she saw what happened. Two relatives pulled up on the car, giving her enough room to pull her son out from underneath.

“It was a miracle,” she said. “He stayed in the hospital for about a week. His skull wasn’t fractured, but they had to restructure his skin. It’s a blessing I still have him.”

Selvie, who said he’s asked often about the scar, said he didn’t know how close he came to dying that day. “I was so young, I can’t remember,” he said.

One thing he hasn’t forgotten?

“I think it was a Buick,” he said. “A pretty nice-sized car.” USF’s Selvie Wins Big East’s Top Defensive Award

By BRETT McMURPHY The Tampa Tribune Published: Dec 6, 2007

LAKE BUENA VISTA - University of South Florida sophomore defensive end George Selvie took a quick glance around in disbelief.

“I look around and see Tim Tebow, Darren McFadden, Dennis Dixon and Chase Daniel,” Selvie said. “And I can hardly believe I’m here with them.”

Selvie belongs with the biggest names in college football, all right. Wednesday brought another example when Selvie was named the Big East’s Defensive Player of the Year by the league’s coaches.

“This was a pretty big surprise,” Selvie said. “It’s a great honor, but nothing I could have expected this year. It’s just another great thing that’s happened.”

Selvie was among a gathering of college football’s elite play- ers at the ESPN Club at Walt Disney World’s BoardWalk.

“This year with the way our team caught on fi re in the begin- ning, our team got a lot of attention and that helped get me noticed,” Selvie said.

Selvie certainly did his part. He leads the nation in tackles for loss (31 1/2 ) and needs only one tackle for loss in the Sun Bowl to break the NCAA record of 32, set by Western Michi- gan’s Jason Babin in 2003.

“Someone mentions that to me nearly every day, but when I’m on the fi eld I don’t even know what a tackle for loss is,” Selvie said. “If I get the record, fi ne, if I don’t get the record and we win, that’s fi ne.”

Selvie, who is second nationally with 14 1/2 sacks, already has been named an All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and the American Football Coaches Association.

“It’s great for George and it’s great for the University of South Florida and our entire football team,” USF coach Jim Leavitt said. “I think George will tell you that when he wins an award the University of South Florida wins an award. It’s always that way.”

Selvie was one of three Bulls earning fi rst-team All-Big East honors along with senior linebacker Ben Moffi tt and senior cornerback Mike Jenkins. Named second-team All-Big East was cornerback Trae Williams, linebacker Tyrone McKenzie and off ensive guard Ryan Schmidt.

“The season didn’t turn out how we wanted,” Selvie said. “We wish could have played in the national championship game. We learned a big lesson. We want to go out with a bang in the Sun Bowl.”