George Selvie

George Selvie (born March 6, 1987) is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League for the St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of South Florida.

Early years

Selvie moved several times during his childhood, while following father's military career. He attended Pine Forest High School in Pensacola, Florida, where he was a two-way player at center and defensive tackle. As a senior, he totaled 55 tackles and 6 sacks.

He received second-team Class 3A and Emerald Coast All-star honors. He was considered only a two-star recruit by ''Rivals.com'' and was not ranked nationally. He also competed in weightlifting.

College career

Selvie accepted a football scholarship from the University of South Florida, where he was originally recruited to play center. As a redshirt freshman in 2006, he was moved to the defensive end position. He started all 13 games at right defensive end, tallying 83 tackles (third on the team), 5.5 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss, 9 quarterback hurries, one pass defensed, 4 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. He had 8 tackles (3.5 for loss), a 9-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown and one forced fumble against West Virginia University, earning National Defensive Player of the Week honors. He made 10 tackles against the University of Cincinnati. For his efforts, '' Sporting News'' named him to its Freshman All-America team.

As a sophomore in 2007, he had a breakout season and was selected as a consensus All-American and the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. He started all 13 games and contributed to the Bulls ranking No. 2 nationally, while collecting 59 tackles (46 solo), 14.5 sacks (second in the NCAA), 31.5 tackles for loss (led the NCAA and second in college history), 13 quarterback hurries, 3 forced fumbles and one blocked kick. He had 4 sacks (tied school record) and 6 tackles for loss (school record) in the season opener against Elon University. He made 5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks against the University of North Carolina. He had 8 tackles (2 for loss) and one sack against West Virginia University. He made 4 tackles for loss against the University of Cincinnati. He played in the 2007 Sun Bowl.

As a junior in 2008, he appeared in 12 games with 11 starts, missing the majority of 3 games with an ankle injury. He recorded 43 tackles (30 solo) with 13.5 of them for loss, 5.5 sacks, 3 quarterback hurries, 5 passes defensed, one forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries. He had 4 tackles for loss and 2 sacks against the University of Louisville. He became the first two-time, first-team All-American in school history, when he was selected by the American Football Coaches Association (also Walter Camp Foundation second-team All-American).

As a senior in 2009, he started all 13 games, registering 42 tackles (second on the team), 9.5 tackles for loss (second on the team), 3.5 sacks (third on the team), 7 quarterback hurries, 2 passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He had one sack, 2 tackles for loss, 3 quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery in a 17-7 win against Florida State University. He received first-team All-Big East honors by Phil Steele.

Selvie appeared in 51 games, leaving with the school single-season and career record for starts (50 games), sacks (29), tackles for loss (69.5), forced fumbles (9), sacks in a single-season (14.5) and tackles for loss in a single-season (31.5). He ranked second in NCAA history and set the Big East Conference record with 69.5 career tackles for loss. While Selvie was a student, he was initiated as a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.

In 2019, he was inducted into the University of South Florida Athletic Hall of Fame.

Career statistics

Honors

* First-team All-American (2008)
* Consensus first-team All-American ( 2007)
* Big East Defensive Player of the Year (2007)
* Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalist (2007)
* Ted Hendricks Award finalist (2007)
* Bill Willis Trophy (2007)
* Freshman All-American by '' Sporting News'' (2006)

Professional career

Pre-draft

Selvie had "been labeled as a first-round talent with sixth- or seventh-round production." After his consensus All-America year in 2007, his production "tailed off considerably" in 2008 and 2009.

St. Louis Rams

Selvie was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round (226th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he played in all 16 games as a backup defensive end, finishing with 21 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one special teams tackle. He was waived on September 3, 2011.

Carolina Panthers

On September 4, 2011, he was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers. He was waived on October 5, after playing four games and recording two tackles.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On November 15, 2011, he was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played in the last 7 games, posting 4 tackles, one-half sack, 2 special teams tackles and one fumble recovery.

In 2012, he appeared in 9 games as a backup, making 30 tackles (2 for loss), one sack and 7 quarterback pressures. He missed 4 games with a knee injury and 2 contests with a concussion. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On April 2, 2013, he signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . He was released on May 6.

Dallas Cowboys

On July 24, 2013, Selvie signed with the Dallas Cowboys for depth purposes, after Anthony Spencer was having problems with his left knee and backup Tyrone Crawford was lost for the year with an Achilles injury. Although he was not expected to make the team, he earned first-team practice reps in his first two weeks and was named the starter at strong defensive end for the Hall of Fame Game against the Miami Dolphins, where he had a notable performance with 2 sacks in a 24-20 win.

He would keep surpassing expectations and on September 8, made his first NFL start. During the season, he had several noteworthy performances, earning the nickname "Bricklayer" from defensive line coach Rod Marinelli. He started all 16 games and was a key player on a defensive line that fought through many injuries. He finished the year with 39 tackles, 7 sacks (second on the team), 7 tackles for loss, 22 quarterback pressures, 2 pass deflections, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

In 2014, his numbers were down from his breakout season, starting 13 games at left defensive end, while recording 31 tackles, 20 quarterback pressures, 3 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

New York Giants

On March 20, 2015, he signed a one-year contract with the New York Giants, to provide depth after the release of defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka. Although he was expected to be a reserve player and a situational pass rusher, injuries on the defensive line opened the door for him to start 3 contests, before his own injuries forced him to miss 4 games. He finished with 15 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

References

External links

South Florida Bulls bioGeorge Selvie, Beyond Your Wildest Dreams

{{DEFAULTSORT:Selvie, George
1987 births
Living people
Players of American football from Pensacola, Florida
African-American players of American football
All-American college football players
American football defensive ends
South Florida Bulls football players
St. Louis Rams players
Carolina Panthers players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
Dallas Cowboys players
New York Giants players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people