There is no doubt that losing a defensive tackle Darrell Jackson at FSU during the winter NCAA transfer portal window was a hit for the Miami Hurricanes defensive line position group.
At 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds, Jackson brings the type of size, length, and functional athleticism that can’t be taught — and UM struggled to replace that type of inside defensive lineman until the weekend. end last.
On Saturday, Miami managed to land a defensive line transfer in Anthony Campbell of Louisiana-Monroe who brings traits to the field that are eerily similar to what the Hurricanes added to Jackson a year prior.
Like Jackson, Campbell brings length to the court that can be felt at 6-foot-7 and 290 pounds. Campbell played 208 defensive snaps as a rotational player for ULM in 2022 and generated 13 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack. Pro Football Focus ranked Campbell with a 72.9 defense rating and a 74.4 defense rating while generating 16 quarterback pressures.
How did Jackson’s numbers compare during his season before arriving in Miami? During the 2021 season at Maryland, Jackson played 225 defensive snaps while totaling 22 tackles with zero tackles for loss and zero sacks. He was credited with generating three pushes that year. PFF ranked Jackson with a defense rating of 57.2 and a defense rating of 58.6.
Taller players may take longer to develop. Players like Jackson and Campbell weren’t much touted out of high school, but betting on big, long, athletic frames will eventually pay off at the line of scrimmage.
Campbell has all the checkpoints of a late bloomer. Campbell grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, and moved to the United States when she was 14. He played football at Bartow (FL) High School in Polk County and continued his career at Independence Junior College in Independence, Kansas. Campbell’s last year at the JUCO level was the 2020 season – and it was a difficult year for any prospect to recruit due to the restrictions that were in place that year.
It took a year at the five-man level for Campbell to get under his feet, playing 57 defensive snaps at Louisiana Monroe in 2021.
During his 2022 season at Louisiana Monroe, Campbell played to the edge and inside with 39% of the snaps coming from the defensive end to help give the advantage in certain situations.
Campbell still has two years of college eligibility. He has NFL potential if he continues to get bigger and stronger while improving his technique. If all goes well for Campbell, he can be a valuable addition to UM at the line of scrimmage going forward.
After the 2022 season, Miami has focused on adding depth to defensive tackle. In the winter transfer portal window, UM added veterans Dean Branson (Purdue) and Thomas Gore (State of Georgia). Both Deen and Gore perform as undersized tackles who win with speed and effort. Campbell will win with length (long levers are strong levers) and size on the inside.
Mario Cristobal wants to offer a defensive line capable of rotating many players during a game. Miami now has seven defensive tackles that represent playable depth in 2023 in Leonard Taylor, Jared Harrison Hunte, Jake Lichtenstein, Ahmad Moten, Deen, Gore and Campbell. UM have also featured top players who can step into certain situations like Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain and there are real freshmen to be excited about for the future as well in Collins Acheampong and Joshua Horton.
Losing Darrell Jackson this offseason was a blow to Miami, but the necessary steps have been taken to replace his production for the upcoming 2023 season.
