“Our football program is heartbroken over the loss of one of our colleagues,” interim coach Nate Dreiling said in a statement released by the school.
Seldon, a 22-year-old defensive back, recently transferred to Utah State after two seasons at New Mexico State. He began his collegiate career at Michigan as a highly-regarded local recruit, spending two seasons there.
“Very sad to hear this news!” Michigan coach Sherron Moore, who was an assistant when Seldon played for the Wolverines in 2020 and 2021, said Sunday. Social Media Posts“A wonderful young man on and off the field! Praying for the Seldon family and supporting them in any way possible! Gone too soon!!”
The Utah State University community is mourning the loss of football student-athlete Andre Seldon Jr.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones. pic.twitter.com/cIScmcewp5
— USU Football (@USUFootball) July 21, 2024
The Cache County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Saturday that initial reports indicated someone was missing after jumping off a cliff into the reservoir. A helicopter team was said to be assisting with the search and rescue effort, and residents were asked to avoid the surrounding area.
In an emailed statement Sunday, a police department spokesperson said officers had gathered “statements from multiple other student-athletes who were at the scene of the accident, as well as other bystanders not part of the accident group” regarding the initial investigation into what happened at the reservoir.
The spokesman added that a determination of death would be made by the coroner’s office.
“Authorities continue to investigate this matter, but at this time we have no factual information to suggest this incident is anything more than a tragic accident,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue to investigate as new evidence arises.”
In a social media post Sunday, New Mexico State’s football program said the Aggies community was “shocked” by the news.
Seldon transferred to Utah State after playing under Dreiling, who was defensive coordinator at New Mexico State. Dreiling took the same job at Utah State earlier this year and was named interim coach when Blake Anderson was placed on administrative leave earlier this month. Anderson was fired Thursday. Intervening in potential domestic violence cases According to the Associated Press, Dreiling was fired after one of his players was arrested. In replacing Anderson, the 33-year-old Dreiling becomes the youngest head coach at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.
Utah State University announced Sunday that Seldon plans to begin classes this fall.
“Having been close with Andre during our time together at New Mexico State, I can say he was a fantastic person and teammate,” Dreiling said in a statement. “We offer our condolences and prayers to Andre’s family as we grieve this great loss together.”
