Seidelman says it was easy to pick Knights
For Bishop Moore offensive lineman Eric Seidelman, this was the easy part. He committed to UCF’s 2018 recruiting class on Sunday after getting the offer he wanted all along.
The choice came with little difficulty for Seidelman, a 6-foot-3, 285-pound center at Bishop Moore.
“That was the offer I was waiting on,” Seidelman said. “I wanted to stay close to home because it would be good for the family and all that. My mom is a graduate from there, so yeah, she loves it.
“Honestly, it just feels amazing.”
Seidelman, who will play either center or guard at UCF, chose the Knights over offers from Air Force, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, Marshall, Ohio and USF.
“The program is on the rise and I believe UCF will be one of the top teams in the conference next year and the years I’m there,” Seidelman said. “The coaches are awesome, I love the facilities, plus it’s close to home, so it’s awesome.”
Seidelman, who is one of the top offensive linemen in the state and is ranked as the No. 13 prospect in the Sentinel’s 2018 Central Florida Super60, is known for his tenacity, hard work and attention to technique.
He said his drive to play “smashmouth” football was what UCF offensive line coach Greg Austin really appreciated about him.
“He likes my toughness and I think he’s kind of the same as me. I think he grew up in Texas, so I think he just likes smashmouth football,” Seidelman said. “[Coach Austin] is awesome and he’s really straight up. That’s what I like about him. He doesn’t sugar-coat anything.”
Seidelman said he could redshirt his first season, which is what Austin likes to do with all of his linemen, but a final decision hasn’t been made yet. Seidelman is OK with potentially redshirting.
He was one of the top performers at all positions at the February Nike The Opening regional camp in Davenport, posting a 105.72 score that placed him 25th among the more than 300 players competing that day. He had a 5.3 second 40-yard dash, a 4.53-second 5-10-5-yard shuttle run, a power ball toss of 43 feet and a vertical jump of 29.4 inches.
He was named one of the top five offensive linemen at the camp and his recruitment started to ramp up a bit afterward, as did Seidelman’s confidence. He realized what he could do against some of the top defensive linemen in the state.
“I pretty much showed I could hang with the guys who have all these bigger offers,” Seidelman said. “I came into these camps with like two offers — McNeese State and Coastal Carolina — and I was the underdog. So when I came in a literally demolished some of these kids with bigger offers, it really sparked up my recruiting.”
And he said he even surprised himself at times.
“When I started going against kids who had 30 offers, or something like that, and I started beating them, I was like, ‘Wow, I would have never thought I would have done that.’” But he knows now. “And I think about how if I can do this in just normal one-on-ones, what can I do with pads on? Because I’m way better with pads on, I believe,” he said.
Seidelman is the second commitment to UCF’s 2018 recruiting class, joining Ocala Vanguard’s B.J. Crimm, a 6-foot, 195-pound safety.