Here's What Indiana Kicker Charles Campbell Said During Tuesday's Podcast

Indiana's Charles Campbell grew up in west Tennessee, and he's a Southern boy at heart who loves to hunt and fish. And outside of making nearly every one of his field goals, it's golf that's his real passion, too. He was the special guest on Tuesday night's Mike & Micah podcast.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — There are times when the quarterback and his offense can't get that first down, so they count on their reliable kicker to finish off a drive.

That played out in a way on Tuesday night during the Mike & Micah Podcast at Yogi's Bar & Grill in Bloomington. Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who suffered a separated left shoulder during Saturday night's game at Penn State, had to do his interview remotely because he was getting treatment on his shoulder. He spoke for 6-plus minutes — to link to his interview, CLICK HERE — and talked about his injury and how he was feeling.

Then, it was time for Indiana kicker Charles Campbell to step in and finish things off. Campbell, a redshirt junior from Jackson, Tenn., was a special guest the show and he was very entertaining. He talked about his love of all things outdoors — like hunting and fishing and golf — and how he became a college kicker who's made 19-of-21 field goals (one was blocked last Saturday) and all 38 extra points. 

Here are the Charles Campbell highlights from last night's 17-minute interview:

— on growing up in Tennessee

"I loved growing up in west Tennessee. I grew up fishing, grew up hunting. I'm wearing cowboy boots right now. I fish for anything, but I think bass fishing is my favorite. My grandfather, he's a fishing fanatic, and he's taught me everything I know about fishing. I probably fish with him once a week when I'm home.''

— on his love for hunting

"I love water-fowl hunting. I'll hunt duck or geese, and squirrel too.  Anything I can hunt with a shotgun, I love. I blow my duck call at home all the time and it drives my roommates nuts.''

— on his love of golf

"I'm probably not supposed to say this, but I think golf might be my favorite sport over football. It's just so relaxing and I love it. It's very difficult, and it's a very humbling sport.''

— switching from soccer to football

"I grew up playing soccer, from maybe 4 or 5 years old at the time. I played all the way up to freshman year, but then I started kicking the football, and I really fell in love with it. My high school career as a kicker was not that good, honestly. My senior year, I attempted some really long field goals, but I missed them all. I was a punter in high school, too, and I kind of missed that from high school.

— on being recruited to Indiana

"I went to some ranking camps when I was coming out, and I wound up doing really well there. I think through word of mouth, Indiana found out about me, and I was lucky that they offered me.''

— on learning from predecessor Logan Justus

"I think not being a starter made me upset to the point that I started working a lot harder, because I never wanted to have that feeling again. My sophomore year, that Purdue game, that's the day I'll remember the rest of my life.

"I felt bad for Logan (who missed three kicks in the Purdue game). I got told I was going in. It was nasty weather outside. I'm sitting there, thinking 'oh my gosh, I'm going to kick my first college field goal.' I made my first one but we got called for delay of game. I think we were up five or something, and I got moved back from the 36 to the 41. I remember telling myself I was either going to destroy that ball or shank it. Luckily, I hit it well. I will remember that forever.''

— on great special teams group during 2020 season

"My snapper Sean Wracher and Hayden Whitehead, my holder, they got the laces back perfect every time. They were great. It was like kicking off of sticks every team. They were that good. And Chase (Wyatt), my holder now, he's great, too.''

— on 'breakfast ball' at Western Kentucky

 "Two off the first tee. That first (51-yard) field goal, it was a little combination of two things. Game balls are brand new and they don't compress well, and I didn't hit it in the sweet spot. I knew it was short. But they had a penalty and I made the next one.''

— on blocked field goal at Penn State

"They got a good push, and I'll give it to them. They did well. That's my unit, so I'm willing to take that miss. I'm not going to put the blame on anybody.''

— on NFL aspirations

"That's my biggest goal, to play in the NFL. Every time I go out there, I try to hold myself to an NFL kicker's standard.''

— on confidence as a kicker compared to golf

"If I kicked like my 3- or 4-foot putts, I wouldn't be very good. I'm very confident as a kicker, must more than my putting. I'll normally shoot mid- to low-80s. Iron play (is the best part of my game), putting is probably the worst. I love to play. On Mondays, our off day, I'm out there playing golf.''

Watch the full Mike & Micah podcast here

Here is the entire 30-minute podcast, with Michael Penix Jr. and Charles Campbell. Campbell joins the show at the 13:50 mark.

Related stories on Indiana football

• PENIX SHOULDER INJURY: Indiana coach Tom Allen talked about Michael Penix Jr.'s shoulder injury during his press conference on Monday. CLICK HERE
• REPORT CARD: It's hard to be kind to Indiana's offense — players and coaches alike — after getting shut out at Penn State on Saturday night. Here's Tom Brew's report card after the 24-0 loss. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA SCHEDULE: Here is Indiana's complete football schedule, with dates, game times, TV information and more, plus links to all the game stories, Tom Brew columns and report cards from the first five games. CLICK HERE