Football | 11/2/2019 7:23:00 PM

Campbell Playing for Fourth Ring at Alcorn

LORMAN, Miss. – Sixth-year tight end Brandon Campbell from the Alcorn State University football team is looking to accomplish something that no student-athlete has ever done before in program history.
 
He's looking to win his fourth ring.
 
"It would be an amazing feeling. I never would have expected to be in a position like this where I could potentially win four rings at Alcorn," Campbell said. "We've won the SWAC East Division every year that I've been here, and it would be unbelievable to leave here with four rings."

 
 
Campbell arrived at Alcorn for his freshman season in 2014. He was a key part of the teams that won back-to-back SWAC Championships in 2014 & 2015. Campbell missed 2016 due to injury, returned in 2017 and once again had to sit out due to injury in 2018. Campbell was granted a sixth-year medical redshirt and is currently playing in his final season.
 
"I play for my family, teammates and coaches. The coaches push us every day to strive for greatness and to never settle," Campbell said. "I knew when I was first recruited here that I was going to be a part of something special. We've had great teams since day one."
 
Campbell, from Pompano Beach, Florida, was recruited as a defensive end by former Alcorn head coach Jay Hopson who played on the same team as Campbell's high school coach Stacy Sizemore. Campbell played defensive end all four years of high school at American Heritage in Florida, and was expecting to continue playing the position at Alcorn.
 
Though upon arrival, the Braves were deep at the defensive line position, but had just one healthy tight end. Due to personnel needs, a decision was made to move Campbell over from defense to offense at the tight end position.
 
Alcorn assistant coach Lane Powell was the tight ends coach at the time. In a unique situation, Powell is in his second stint as Campbell's position coach. Powell left Alcorn in 2014 and returned in 2018 when Campbell was entering his fifth season.
 
"Brandon has always been a hard worker. He's a really smart and athletic kid, and was a great asset for us in 2014 when we were short on bodies. I felt good about him making the move because he's a big, strong, physical guy and could block really well," Powell said. "Brandon has grown so much over the years. Not only from a player-standpoint, but he's also one of our leaders. He's a quiet guy, but leads through his actions on and off the field. He can get his teammates to do things that most other people can't get them to do. He's one of those special guys that you know will be successful in anything he does in life."
 
After making the transition to tight end, Campbell never moved back to the defensive side.
 
"It was a hard move for me to make at first and I actually wanted to move back to defensive end. Though at the time, the only tight end they had in 2014 was a senior and I saw the opportunity for myself to step into the position. I came in and worked as hard as I could every day and stuck it out," Campbell said.
 
Campbell played in nine games in 2014. He improved as the season went along, and caught his first career touchdown pass on Nov. 15, 2014 in a 56-6 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. It came on a 10-yard pass from John Gibbs Jr. midway through the second quarter to put the Braves ahead 21-0.
 
"That was my first touchdown ever in my life so it felt good," Campbell said. "We had been working on that play in practice so I knew there was a chance the ball might come my way, but I didn't think the play would actually be called in the game. When we got in the red zone and the play was called, it was a great feeling being able to score."
 
The Braves were crowned both SWAC Champions and HBCU National Champions in 2014 with a 10-3 (7-1 SWAC) record, and Campbell was awarded his first ring.
 
The success continued in 2015. The Braves repeated as SWAC Champions with a 9-4 (7-2 SWAC) record and played in the inaugural Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl. Campbell played in all 13 games.
 
One of the highlights of Campbell's career was a touchdown catch in the bowl game on Dec. 19, 2015. It was his second touchdown of the season and third of his career.
 
"It was a huge touchdown for both me and the team. We were down by seven at the time, and the touchdown tied up the game," Campbell said.


 
On the down side, Campbell's first career setback came when he experienced tendinitis in his left knee after the 2015 season. He went and saw a doctor, and decided to move forward with surgery in Feb. 2016 to repair it. Campbell sat out the spring and the summer leading up to the 2016 campaign.
 
The Braves opened 2016 with a game scheduled against Bethune-Cookman in his home state. The game was called off due to lightning. The following week, Campbell got the start against Alabama State but hurt his other knee in the second quarter.
 
"My left knee was close to 100 percent. I was coming in to make a block on a linebacker, and then my right knee just gave out," Campbell said.
 
The injury was a torn patellar tendon. He was informed immediately after the game that he'd be out for the season.
 
"It was definitely hard for me. I just came back from my left knee being hurt, and then I hurt my other knee. It was the first time in my career that I actually had to miss games due to an injury," Campbell said. "It was tough being on the sidelines and not being able to play. Though, I knew I had to rehab it and get back on the field with my teammates."
 
After the 2016 season, Campbell was moving around but limited his time on the field during the spring. He said he didn't feel 100 percent until the end of the summer.
 
Since Campbell only played in one game in 2016, he was entering his redshirt-junior year in 2017.
 
He played in 11 games in 2017, including the SWAC Championship against Grambling State. Campbell blocked for an offense that led the SWAC in both total yards (461.3 ypg) and rushing (237.4 ypg). Both marks were top-10 in the nation.
 
Heading into 2018, Campbell experienced another major injury two weeks before the season started. It happened in practice as he tore his Achilles heel during a drill when he was leaping up. He did not participate at all during the 2018 season.
 
"At first when I tore it, I thought my career was over right there. I thought I was done," Campbell said. "My teammates picked me up though and encouraged me to rehab and keep pushing. That's when I made the decision that I needed to try and come back, and I shouldn't just give it up right there."
 
It was Campbell's redshirt-senior year, and he was still on the team as the Braves won the 2018 SWAC Championship and advanced to the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl. Campbell was awarded his third ring.
 
Campbell continued working out with the team after the season in hopes of getting a rare sixth-year medical redshirt. He stayed in school and earned his Bachelor's degree in business administration in May 2019.
 
As the 2019 season began, Campbell still hadn't been cleared to play. He sat out the opener at Southern Miss as he was still awaiting a ruling from the NCAA.
 
"I really didn't think I was going to be able to play this year. The paperwork hadn't been completed and it just didn't seem like it was going to happen," Campbell said. "It wasn't until the day before the Mississippi College game that I found out I could play. Coach [Fred] McNair called me around 6 p.m. and told me that I could play."
 
Since returning against Mississippi College on Sept. 7, Campbell has played in each of the following seven games. Mainly used as a blocking tight end, he's helped Alcorn get off to a 4-0 record in SWAC play. The Braves are the only remaining unbeaten team in the league.
 
"Brandon has had, by far, one of the roughest, toughest careers at Alcorn. He's overcome so much adversity with all the different injuries he's sustained here. He could have hung it up so many times, but continues to come back and fight," McNair said. "He's an excellent person overall with great character, and we've never had a single issue with him personality-wise. He's a testament to the type of student-athlete we try to grow here at Alcorn and he sets the example for the rest of the team."
 
Campbell is in graduate school and is studying towards a Master's degree in athletic administration. He's on pace to finish in May 2021 and wants to pursue a career in coaching.


 
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