IOL Devon Campbell
Devon Campbell is the second highest rated OL commit in Texas history. He committed late in the process, and the commitment wrapped the most beautiful bow around the historic 2022 OL haul for the Longhorns. He was recently spotted starting at RG, so is that something we’ll see early and often this season? What does Campbell bring on the field, what is his background, and where will football lead this young man?
High School and Recruiting
Campbell played in high school at Bowie High School in Arlington, TX. He was rated as the 10th overall player in the 2022 class. He came in as the number one interior OL, and the number three player in Texas. Devon was recruited to Texas by coaches Kyle Flood and Jeff Banks. Campbell was selected to play in the 2021 Under Armor All-American game. He chose Texas over offers from Alabama, Georgia, OU, Texas A&M, LSU, and many others.
On Field Skills
The first thing to point out about Devon Campbell’s on field ability is his athleticism. As a 6’3” 310 pound person, he is able to dunk a basketball with ease. On the gridiron, his athleticism shows up with his elite ability to get up to the second level. There are plays on his tape where he is running step for step with his RBs, while blocking people in the process. The term “dancing bear” will be thrown around for Campbell a lot. He also shows a staggering punch at the point of attack. His power for his age is ridiculous. He is a bit short, so he will likely end up on the interior long term, and he has all the tools to be successful there. Out of high school, he was projected to be a first round pick. He even drew comparisons to former All-B10 OG Wyatt Davis.
Outlook for Texas in 2022
In a recent scrimmage Campbell was seen taking first team reps at RG with fellow freshman Cole Hutson sidelined. With Campbell being as talented as he is it’s hard to see him riding the pine for a long period of time this season. With how underwhelming the OL of the last five seasons have been, there’s no reason that these highly touted freshmen can’t come in and steal some jobs. If by week four the OL looks like Banks, Conner, Hutson, Campbell, Williams, four freshmen, I wouldn’t be the last bit surprised. Campbell is going to find a way to the field in 2022. Whether by week one, or week six, expect to see #52 in the starting lineup this season.
Career Outlook
The last five NFL Draft classes were the high school classes of 2015-2019. From those classes, there were nine offensive lineman who ranked inside the top ten players overall. Two of nine were drafted in the first round. However six out of nine did go on to be drafted. So, the odds are DJ Campbell will find himself on NFL teams radar’s in the future. He has all the tools, size, strength, and athleticism to be an elite guard prospect. Some even believe he could have a future at RT, but my belief is his best future is him on the inside. Long term he should stick at LG next to Kelvin Banks, forming one half of a potential future NFL OL.
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- QBs: Quinn Ewers – Hudson Card
- RBs: Bijan Robinson – Roschon Johnson – Keilan Robinson
- WRs: Xavier Worthy – Jordan Whittington – Isaiah Neyor – Agiye Hall – Tarique Milton – Brenen Thompson
- TEs: Ja’Tavion Sanders – Jahleel Billingsley
- OTs: Kelvin Banks – Christian Jones – Andrej Karic – Cam Williams
