Josh Heupel breaks down four-star athlete Cameron Seldon

Probably the most intriguing signing of Tennessee’s 2023 class, four-star athlete Cameron Seldon enters his college career with a number of different options. Is he a running back? Slot receiver? Both? Could he even end up on defense?

That’s up to the Tennessee staff to decide over the next nine months. Per 247Sports, Seldon ended up as the 36th ranked player in the country. The 6-1, 220 pound prospect comes out of Virginia. That frame of his could take him in a number of different directions, as our own Clint Eiland speculated on Christmas Day.

This isn’t a question mark in terms of his talent or anything like that. I think it’s just a question of where he plays. Seldon is simultaneously too talented to keep off the field, while also maybe not totally ready for big usage in the SEC. Is he a running back? He’s sort of built like one, and he is electric with the ball in his hands. But that room is kind of crowded and has veteran options in front. Is he a wide receiver? He could absolutely be an All-SEC type slot guy—but again, there’s a lot of talent at that position as well. I could even see Seldon on defense. He’s quick and lengthy enough to get a look at cornerback or safety. I really don’t know where Seldon projects best at. That’s up for Tennessee’s staff to decide.

Seldon also plays basketball and runs track as well. He won the Class 1A state title in the 100 meter, while also setting his high school’s record with a 10.74 mark. Seldon took snaps at quarterback, running back and wide receiver on offense. Defensively he spent time on the edge as a pass rusher, while also playing safety and returning kicks.

The do-everything Seldon picked Tennessee over Penn State back in July. Last week, fresh off of receiving his signature, Josh Heupel offered his thoughts on the exciting prospect for the first time.

“He’s a dynamic player,” Heupel said. “You look at his junior tape, it was electric and as a defensive player as well. He’s a football player. Instincts and then athleticism. He has the ability to help you in the return game as well. He’s a guy that has position flexibility, so for us in our tempo that gives you formation flexibility, it gives the ability to find a match-up and put him in a position to go win.”

Seldon will have a chance to feel things out with the staff during spring practices as an early enrollee. That’s going to be another storyline to follow come March — where are they working him? Running back? Receiver? Anywhere else?

For now, it does sound like Heupel is set on an offensive landing spot, as we’ve thought since his commitment this summer.

“As a skill guy offensively you have a dynamic, explosive athlete that we feel like will eventually have the ability to be a home run hitter,” Heupel said. “You have a lot of different ways to get him the football, obviously with what we do offensively, the creativity we have, we can find ways to use that weapon.”

Heupel and his staff have been creative in the past with guys like Velus Jones Jr. and even some with Jalin Hyatt this year. Princeton Fant is another good example. As a whole, they seem very fluid and adaptive to the personnel that they have, so that’s a plus for Seldon coming in.

If there’s a single on-field question about Seldon, it’s definitely about his level of competition at the high school level. He competed in the smallest classification in Virginia, and some of that shows up on tape.

With weapons like Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman on the way out, Tennessee is going to have plenty of touches to spread around to new faces. We know Bru McCoy and Ramel Keyton will have massive roles, but others like Squirrel White and Walker Merrill will also see more time. Can Seldon crack that rotation like White did at the end of 2022?