George Selvie with Playboy All-American team

With fall practice a month away, University of South Florida DE George Selvie took a few minutes to discuss his experience being USF’s first Playboy All-American, what caused USF’s second-half slide last year, what the Bulls learned from last year’s unprecedented media attention and whether he will return for his senior season (He’s no longer 100 percent). I hope you enjoy the Q and A format. If so, I’ll try to make it a regular feature in the fall.

Q: How’s the summer been going so far?
A: “It’s been going pretty well. We’re out there running, building more as a team, stuff like that. I’ve been trying to get bigger, [other] people are trying to lose weight, trying to get ready for the season.”

Q: How was your trip to Phoenix as part of the Playboy All-American photo shoot?
A: “I had a blast out there. It was nice going out there, seeing the USC players, the Texas players. Hanging out with them was pretty good.”

Q: How many of your teammates asked if you saw any Playboy playmates?
A: “A lot of them. They thought I was at the [Playboy] mansion. I told them it wasn’t at the mansion, it was at a resort [in Phoenix]. They were like, “Man, what kind of Playboy All-America team is it if you don’t get to see the playmates?”

Q: What are your thoughts on being USF’s first Playboy All-American?
A: “I was honored just to be part of that prestigious team because they have been doing it for a long time. Just going out there and being a part of it and meeting people out there. I had fun getting to meet new guys from different programs you always see on TV that’s ranked in the top five like Oklahoma. To see people from that program and hanging out with them and letting them know our program is going to be on the rise. Now I’m setting the way for other people [at USF] to do the same thing.”

Q: What did you enjoy most in Phoenix?
A: “Hanging out with the other guys and hearing what they’re doing and seeing what their programs are all about. Listening to their traditions and stuff like that. And trash talking. We [the Big East players] had to defend ourselves. There was only three of us out there. [Cincinnati CB] Mike Mickens and [West Virginia QB] Pat White, we were kind of outnumbered out there.”

Q: What did your parents think when they heard you were named to the Playboy team?
A: “Well, my mom’s a minster, so I didn’t tell her until the last minute what it was for. She just thought [I was going to Phoenix] for an awards show. When I told her I was leaving, I told her it was for Playboy. She didn’t take too kindly to that. I don’t know if she’s going to look at the article in the magazine or not. My dad didn’t care. He was like ‘for real? You going to the mansion?’ He liked it, my mom not too much. Playboy said they’d send a copy to the house, back home [in Pensacola]. My mom will send it back to me. She said she’s not going to look at it, but then she might throw it away, so I might have to get my own [in Tampa]. [When I look at it] I’ll say I’m just reading the articles.”

Q: With USF reaching No. 2 in the polls last season and the preseason attention the school has received this summer, how is the school perceived differently than in the past?
A: “It’s exciting. Some people have us ranked in the preseason Top 25, so just to see us up there, we’re going in the right direction. Seeing my name on some [preseason watch] lists and my teammates Tyrone McKenzie, [Ryan] Schmidt and [Matt] Grothe on other lists, it lets you know we’ve got good players, great talent on our team. We just have to keep winning games and our program will be on a championship level and contending for the national championship. If not this year, then years to come.”

Q: Was there a simple explanation why you guys struggled the second half of last season?
A: “I think it was a number of different factors. I can’t figure out one reason. Some people blame it on themselves; I blame myself. I could have played better. Coach [Jim] Leavitt puts every loss on his back. He said it’s “my coaching mistakes.” Everything goes into it.”

Q: Looking back, did all of the sudden national attention effect the team last season?
A: “Going from non-existent to No. 2 in the nation was pretty amazing. [It seemed] we were like look at us, we’re up there. We have the experience and we can learn from that [this year]. We know when you get up there, you have to stay up there.”

Q: This year’s schedule is similar to last year with an early nationally ranked non-conference opponent (Kansas instead of Auburn). If you guys get off to another 6-0 start, will you use what happened last year to handle a high national ranking during the second half of the season this year?
A: “We’ll definitely use that. He [Jim Leavitt] reminded us of that [losing three straight last year] today. He’ll remind us of that every day. At the beginning of last season, I kept saying ‘every game is the biggest game of my life.’ But I noticed toward the end and the middle of the season, I wasn’t saying that anymore. Sometimes you get up there [in the rankings] and think you’re all high and mighty, but we learned from it and learned from our mistakes. Coach Leavitt reminds us how we started out fast and lost three in a row. He reminds us we have to remain on a championship level. We’re always one game off from winning the Big East.”

Q: I asked you this last year and wanted to be the first to ask this year: What will determine if you return for your senior season in 2009 [Selvie is scheduled to graduate in May]?
A: “It all depends on how the season goes and how we end up. There’s a lot that goes into it. I’m on course to graduate and I really want to get my degree before I leave here. A lot of stuff will go into it, what my family thinks I should do.”

Q: Last year you told me you were 100 percent certain you would return for the 2009 season. What percentage is it today?
A: “Ninety-nine percent.”