By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Payton Seelmann spent one productive Saturday last season lining up across from North Carolina in a Richmond uniform. Now he’s wearing Carolina blue, and Bill Belichick has already found plenty to like about the linebacker’s game.
Seelmann arrives at the FBS level after being one of the most decorated players in FCS.
The 6–1, 225-pound junior linebacker was First Team All-Patriot League after leading the Spiders in tackles, finishing second in the conference and eighth nationally at 120, while averaging double-digit stops in every game.
Of those 120 tackles, 52 came unassisted, also a team high. He added 2½ sacks (-11 yards), two interceptions (second-most on the team), five pass breakups (third-most), four quarterback hurries (third-most), a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Belichick learned about the transfer the way he learns about most players on his roster, through what shows up on tape and in practice.
“Peyton’s kind of a little bit of a throwback guy,” Belichick said. “Doesn’t say too much, but he’s all business. Really tough, competitive kid, high-effort player. He’s always going as hard as he can, and it’s been impressive to watch.
“He’s a very instinctive player,” Belichick said. “Finds the ball, and has shown the ability to play on all four downs, in the kicking game as well. He runs well. He’s tough. He’s a good tackler, and has very good football instincts.”
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That instinct-driven style showed up in flashes throughout Seelmann’s final season at Richmond. He picked up 67 return yards on an interception against Lafayette, the No. 25 FCS team, on Nov. 15, setting up a Spiders touchdown. He twice set new career highs in tackles within the same month, recording 16 against Howard on Sept. 27 before topping that with a season and career-high 20 tackles against Bucknell on Oct. 4.
That 20-tackle outing was the most by a Spider since Tyler Dressler matched the number against Maine in 2019.
That production is what caught Carolina’s attention in the first place. Seelmann said Belichick and his staff moved fast once he entered the transfer portal.
“It was pretty early. It was like the first or second day. They hit me up and told me they wanted me to come visit, and I was starstruck,” Seelmann said. “I thought it was pretty cool talking to Bill the first time. Just really cool.”
Belichick’s résumé wasn’t lost on him, either. He kept repeating how the coaching legend is “a good dude.”
“He saw me in a lot of ways,” Seelmann said. “I feel like him being in the [NFL], definitely, he knows a lot compared to some other coaches that maybe played at one level. But he’s a really good dude, and he’s really personal, too. Like he’s good to all those players.”
Seelmann got a taste of Kenan Stadium from his experience during the Tar Heels’ 41–6 victory, Belichick’s first win in Chapel Hill.
“It was really cool. The fans were crazy; it’s pretty electric,” Seelmann said. “It was loud; I couldn’t even hear my own calls. It was tough, but it was fun. It was really fun.”
He didn’t get a chance to talk football with Belichick after that game, but the performance stuck: three of his game-high nine tackles were solo, and he hurried the quarterback once.
“I did not talk to him about the game, but when I came here on my visit, they brought it up and said I played well,” Seelmann said. “They liked my style.”
Once he committed, the decision came together quickly.
“Honestly, just when I came on my visit, I kind of fell in love with it, fell in love with the opportunity, and committed like a day later,” said Seelmann, who commited on Jan. 6
He wasn’t the only one who made that jump. Fellow Richmond transfer Donovan Hoilette Jr., a graduate defensive end, made the move to Chapel Hill as well, giving Seelmann a familiar face in a new locker room.
“He’s one of my good buddies at Richmond,” Seelmann said. “When we first got here, we kind of just hung out with him a bunch. He’s a really good dude. Great player too.”
Belichick pointed to Seelmann’s arrival, along with fellow linebacker Derek McDonald, a graduate transfer from Syracuse, as a significant boost to a position group that needed reinforcements.
“Getting him and Derek really gives us a lot of depth at linebacker,” Belichick said. “That’s been good.”
That pairing has developed into one of the stronger relationships on the roster.
“I love that guy,” Seelmann said of McDonald. “He’s helped me a lot. He’s probably one of the smartest players I’ve ever played with. Sometimes I’ll be wrong, and he’ll get me right. It’s awesome. He’s a really good dude.”
With McDonald often making the defensive calls, Seelmann has spent this offseason trying to expand his role as a communicator.
“Sometimes, Derek’s the Mike, he’s the leader, but I could help, too, and lead and communicate things, get the calls, and get us lined up.”
Seelmann’s individual numbers came within a defense that ranked among the Patriot League’s best a year ago. Richmond finished second in the conference and sixth nationally in total defense, holding opponents to 290.3 yards per game, and ranked second in the league in scoring defense at 22.7 points allowed per game.
The Spiders also tied for third in the conference with 11 interceptions on the season, a group effort Seelmann contributed to as both a tackler and a ball hawk.
Seelmann has also had to adjust to a new coaching staff after Steve Belichick went on medical leave, something he said the linebacker room hasn’t let disrupt its rhythm.
“We have a really great defensive staff. We’ve all worked collectively together,” Seelmann said. “We’ve been getting it done, and we have really good staff. It’s been good.”
Facing the creative play-calling of first-year Offensive Coordinator Bobby Petrino in practice hasn’t hurt either.
“He’s got some stuff up his sleeve for sure. He’s got some really good plays,” Seelmann said. “I feel like, as a defense, it’s definitely helped us a lot because there are some looks that he shows us that really get us. But he’s a really good coach, and I feel like he’s helping us a bunch.”
He’s glad that the next time he suits up at Kenan Stadium, it will be in Carolina blue.
Photo via richmondspiders.com
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