How Jihaad Campbell fits into Clemson defense

CLEMSON — The class of 2022 is starting to gain momentum on the recruiting trail.

On Sunday, Clemson landed its fourth commitment in the last two weeks when blue-chipper Jihaad Campbell pledged to the Tigers. Ranked No. 143 overall in the 247 Sports Composite, Campbell currently plays at IMG Academy in Florida after spending his first three years of high school at Erial (N.J.) Timber Creek High. Campbell is now Clemson’s third defensive pledge in the class joining Sherrod Covil and Toriano Pride.

Clemson has added a dynamic edge rusher that has some terrific length to go along with explosive positional athleticism playing on the edge. The Tigers pulled off a coup in this recruitment beating out Florida, Georgia, and Ohio State for the services of Campbell.

The hybrid defensive end/linebacker could play a unique role for defensive coordinator Brent Venables.

Personnel

At defensive end, Clemson enters the 2021 season with nine scholarship players on the roster. However, three of those players — Xavier Thomas, Justin Foster, and Regan Upshaw — are entering their season seasons. Meanwhile, redshirt junior K.J. Henry is draft-eligible after this year while Myles Murphy likely only has two more seasons remaining in college. Kevin Swint, Cade Denhoff, and Zaire Patterson were all players that arrived within the last two recruiting classes.

At the Sam linebacker spot, Trenton Simpson could be considered an edge player as the sophomore has the potential to be a pass rusher in certain situations. Due to Clemson’s 4-3 front, the Tigers don’t typically have the hybrid defensive/outside linebackers that we see in most 3-4 defenses. However, Campbell is good enough to succeed in one of these spots.

Venables could use Campbell in multiple ways when the blue-chipper arrives on campus.

Fit

As soon as the tape rolls for Campbell, the pass-rushing traits jump off the screen. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound linebacker is used as both an edge rusher and off-ball linebacker but is always a threat to get after the quarterback. Campbell is great at finding and tracking the football without over pursuing. When arriving to the ball carrier, Campbell constantly finishes the play by getting the quarterback on the ground.

The numbers back this up as Campbell recorded 45 tackles and seven sacks in just six games last season. Meanwhile, Campbell was used as a two-way player playing wide receiver on offense showing that there is some multi-dimensional athleticism available.

The blue-chipper has some major tools. Campbell has length and a frame that should be able to add between 20-30 pounds in a collegiate strength and conditioning program. With speed and top-notch athleticism, the ceiling is high for this defensive prospect.

Outlook

Clemson is not afraid to insert multi-positional talents into their 4-3 defense. The Tigers have moved around players in the secondary, and now seem open to adding twitched-up edge rushers and figuring out where to use them once the players arrive on campus.

Barrett Carter is going to be tried out at safety, Trenton Simpson has settled in as an off-ball linebacker, and Kevin Swint has been moved to full-time defensive end. Time will tell where Campbell ends up, but there is no denying the potential.

Clemson usually finds a way to put individuals in a spot where the most success can be had.