Miami OL John Campbell Jr. to Start Fall Camp at Left Tackle
There’s a lot of hype surrounding the Miami Hurricanes and their retooled program under head coach Mario Cristobal as fall camp gets underway. One unit with particularly high expectations will be the Canes offensive line, led by Preseason All-ACC tackle Zion Nelson.
But the Hurricanes will open camp without Nelson, who told reporters at Miami’s media day that he’d be out for 3-4 more weeks rehabbing a minor “clean-up” on his left knee.
Holding down his left tackle spot will be John Campbell Jr., a fifth-year redshirt junior who started a handful of games in 2020 before missing all of 2021 with a leg injury.
Campbell may be less well known in national media circles, but he’s certainly making an early impression on his new coaches.
“We expect John to be one of the best players in the conference and eventually the country,” Cristobal said during his press conference. “We think that highly of him.”
It was an encouraging statement from the Canes head coach, who’s a proven talent evaluator and developer that has produced a top seven pick in each of the last three NFL Drafts.
"He's got a lot of the same traits that Zion [Nelson] has. To be a great lineman you gotta have those traits," Cristobal said. "All those physical traits and [Campbell] has come out with the intangibles...toughness and resiliency."
Campbell was regarded as one of the top 20 offensive linemen in the recruiting class of 2018 out of Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips High School. He missed the entire 2021 season while recovering from leg surgery.
Barring an unforeseen mishap, however, Nelson should be back at 100 percent by the time Miami hosts Bethune-Cookman to open the season on Sep 3 and will be reinserted at the left tackle spot.
These few weeks could provide an invaluable opportunity for Campbell, though, allowing him to mesh with the rest of the unit and get the maximum number of reps after missing the entire 2021 season.
Offensive line coach Alex Mirabal is reportedly cross-training all Miami’s linemen so that they can play any position in the front five. With so much size and talent up front, this versatility could pay big dividends for the Hurricanes offense.
Campbell will be a player to watch during fall camp and could seriously improve his stock on the team over the next few weeks.
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