Cameron Seldon has flown somewhat under the radar throughout the recruiting process, playing at a school in rural Virginia, roughly two hours south of Washington, D.C. And his limited game experience at the high school level might have only further limited his exposure.
But 247Sports national recruiting analyst
Brian Dohn said there’s plenty to like about Seldon, a four-star Class of 2023 athlete from Northumberland High School in Heathsville, Va., who announced his commitment to Tennessee on Thursday afternoon. Seldon picked the Vols over Penn State and Maryland after taking official visits to all three schools last month.
Dohn said the 6-foot-1, 219-pound Seldon has “electric speed,” having been timed at 10.74 seconds in the 100 meters this spring, and will give the Vols a versatile skill set that could allow him to make an impact on either offense or defense.
“I think one of the things to like with Seldon is he’s got position versatility,” Dohn said of Seldon, who’s ranked by 247Sports as the No. 24 overall prospect and No. 3 athlete in the 2023 class. “He’s a kid that lines up at receiver, running back. There’s times he can do wildcat.
“He’ll play edge — kind of defensive end — also, and while he doesn’t have the size for defensive end or the frame, I always thought he could be a sensational linebacker in addition to receiver.”
Seldon primarily has been recruited as a wide receiver. Tennessee coach
Josh Heupel’s staff has told Seldon that he could be an all-purpose weapon for the Vols on offense who could line up at both wide receiver and running back in some situations.
“His speed is something you would really like to press against secondaries on and get him into space to touch the ball and get him in one-on-one situations, because he does have that just electric speed,” Dohn said of Seldon. “But he also has a good change of direction, which you really see with some of his yards after the catch.
“When I watch him as a running back, it’s a lot of downhill stuff. He’s got some subtle movement. But I think, if you’re looking to take full advantage of his athleticism, you try to get some mismatches as a receiver and in the slot.”
Steve Wiltfong, 247Sports’ director of recruiting, said Seldon has been “a big-play machine” in high school and should be “college-ready physically” for the Vols because of his size.
“Tennessee had one of the nation’s most electric offenses last season, and recruiting wins like
Cameron Seldon ensure this attack will be prolific for years to come. … He’s a big-play machine on the prep level, a threat to score any time he touches it with his combination of power, speed and quickness,” Wiltfong said.
“It will be exciting to see how
Josh Heupel and (offensive coordinator)
Alex Golesh scheme him into the offense as Seldon is bringing a lot of versatility.”
Given his versatility, limited experience at the high school level and the competition he faces in Virginia’s Class 1A, Dohn said, it’s not easy to project where Seldon might have the highest ceiling at the next level.
“I think that’s a tough one because he has such little experience,” Dohn said. “He’s played nine games in his high school career — four as a sophomore in the spring during a COVID season, and then five as a junior — and he didn’t hit the camp circuit, so there’s a lot of unknowns about him and his upside. But when you’re 6-1, 6-2, 220 pounds, and you’re running 10.74s, that’s why there’s upside.
“He plays in the smallest classification in Virginia, so he’s always the best athlete on the field. And he’s a sensational athlete to begin with. But he’s not facing a lot of D-I competition. I just look at it from, as a linebacker, I’m a defense guy first, so I think he has a good skill set for that. And I also think he has a good skill set as a receiver because of his ability to get out of breaks and create separation, and he shows good hands.
“To me, if he’s on offense, he’s a kid that you want to get in one-on-one situations as much as possible so he can use his athleticism and his speed to turn, shoot, maybe an 8-yard curl into an 18-yard curl.”
Dohn said Seldon’s “offer list does not match his skill set.” That’s partly because he “didn’t hit the camp scene” during his sophomore and junior years, Dohn said, and also simply because of where he’s located geographically.
“If you put that kid in a place that’s easy to get to, he’s a 40-offer kid,” Dohn said of Seldon. “Now, he also didn’t have a lot of exposure with visits. .. But he is so much more physically gifted than anybody on the field every game that he should dominate the way he does. If he didn’t dominate that way, he wouldn’t be going to Tennessee.
“One of the unknowns with him is that step up in competition. All the markers say that he should have success, which is why he’s ranked so high. But as you get further along and we watch his development as a senior, it’s going to be key to see, does he get in the full season? What does he look like as a pass-catcher? What does he look like when he’s lined up at running back?
“When we look at him in the fall,” Dohn added, “there’s a lot of things that we’re going to be able to keep an eye on — including, if his season goes the way it should, he will play more games his senior year than he has in high school so far.”
