MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Despite catching just 13 passes in four years at Florida State, George Campbell never doubted his ability to play professional football.
It was all just a matter of putting the pieces together.
The former 5-star blue chip recruit had all the tools — speed, size and strong hands — to be an NFL-caliber wide receiver, but his body kept him from ever living up to his potential with the Seminoles. As a sophomore in 2016, Campbell missed the entire season to remove a bone chip lodged in his hip. He played in four games in 2017 before complications from his surgery kept Campbell out of FSU’s final nine games.
In 2018, younger receivers began to pass a frustrated Campbell on the depth chart, so after graduating in spring 2019, he decided to look elsewhere, knowing there was still something left in the tank.
“It was just about getting an opportunity,” Campbell told The Dominion Post on Monday. “I didn’t get into Penn State’s grad program, so (former WVU wide receivers coach Xavier Dye) had reached out to me and got me in touch with coach (Neal) Brown. I had been coached by coach (Travis) Trickett’s dad, Rick Trickett, while at Florida State. I knew some of the guys and got to know them a little better as I was talking to them. It was a unique situation — they needed a receiver and somebody to come in and help out.
“I needed somewhere to go with an opportunity and I’m glad coach Brown gave me one.”
Campbell converted that opportunity into 19 catches for 469 yards — 24.7 yards a pop to lead the team — with seven touchdowns in 2019. More than a 1/3 of his catches were for scores, and the phrase “All he does is catch touchdowns” was born.
With a successful season at West Virginia under his belt, Campbell is ready to take himself to the next level heading into this weekend’s NFL draft.
However, he had an opportunity for one more go-around with the Mountaineers if he wanted it. With his injury history at Florida State, Brown made a simple suggestion for Campbell to apply for a sixth year of eligibility through the NCAA.
“When he made his decision to come here, we were under the assumption that he would be here for one semester,” Brown said. “He got into the season and started to have success toward the middle. My conversations with him were, ‘Hey George, let’s apply for this waiver. I think you’ve got a great opportunity if you apply for it. Let’s see how it plays out.’ ”
In November with two games remaining, Campbell’s waiver was approved to come back for another year if he wanted to. But the same reason he was approved to begin with was the reason Campbell decided against it.
He was finally healthy after battling injury after injury for five years in college, so it felt like the right time to take a shot at the NFL.
“I knew my past and I knew that nothing’s guaranteed,” Campbell said. “There’s always a chance you could get injured and I knew I had battled injuries in the past. This is an opportunity that I had open, and I didn’t want to regret it or make a mistake and say, ‘Dang, I should have went ahead and went.’ if I did decide to stay one more year.
“I knew I wanted to take my chances and better myself.”
While Brown felt Campbell could have benefited from one more year with the Mountaineers, he completely understood the decision Campbell made to declare for the draft.
“He’s coming from the point that he’s already graduated, he’s played five years of college football and he’s tired of going to class,” Brown said. “He’s the most healthy he’s been in his entire career. He feels like he has really good tape on special teams, especially over the back half of the season. He’s ready for the next chapter and I support him 100%.”
Brown also applauded Campbell’s leadership in the receivers room. He is the only receiver who will not be back this upcoming season, so despite being at West Virginia for just one year, Campbell was a veteran presence who helped set the tone for a group that improved over the course of last season.
Shaky offseason
After a roller coaster college career, Campbell’s offseason path to the NFL draft has been almost as tumultuous due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
WVU’s Pro Day, slated for March 25, was canceled, which forced all of the Mountaineers prospects to scramble for alternatives. Campbell, with the help of Grady Sports Agency, had his own workout near his hometown of Clearwater, Fla.
“It went really well. I was able to show out to a few teams,” he said.
In comparison with the 55 receivers tested at the NFL Combine in February, Campbell, listed at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, put up impressive numbers, including the 40-yard dash (4.35, 2nd), shuttle (4.32, 9th) and broad jump (10-6.5 feet, 10th).
“I wanted to show that I could be a deep threat — a vertical guy that can stretch the field,” he said. “I wanted to show that because a lot of teams want a guy that they can go deep to. The more I can do, the better off I’ll be.”
In-person visits with NFL teams were also scrapped, but Campbell has been in touch with several through FaceTime and other types of “small talk.” Regardless of how the draft works out, it would be a dream come true just to get an opportunity to play pro football.
“All my life, it’s what I’ve been playing football for,” Campbell said. “It would be something to show that my hard work has paid off. It’ll show that I’ve been able to unlock a door that I’ve always dreamed of.”
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