'It's important to him': Tennessee kicker Charles Campbell earned his spot with the Vols
Mike Ekeler had good news to deliver, but Tennessee’s special teams coordinator wanted to have some fun with it. He picked up the phone and called Charles Campbell’s mother to update her on the Vols’ recruitment of her son, the transfer placekicker.
“I said, ‘It’s great to meet you, and I just wanted to let you know we will do anything we can to help Charles,’” Ekeler said, retelling the story on Thursday and pausing, talking as if the Vols wouldn’t have room for her son, “‘find a ride to Knoxville. You better pack up his stuff and get it ready ASAP.’
“She was crying,” Ekeler continued, “so it’s important to him, and it’s neat to have someone from Tennessee who has this lifelong dream of playing here.”
Campbell, the Jackson, Tenn., native, grew up at Tennessee fan and took an official visit to see the Vols in 2014 after kicking at University School of Jackson, before ultimately landing at Indiana.
Charles Campbell kicked five field goals of 50+ yards at Indiana
Over the last four years with the Hoosiers, Campbell kicked his way to eighth in program history with 37 made field goals and 14th on the all-time scoring list with 179. He kicked five field goal of 50 or more yards during his career, second most in Indiana football history and had a long of 55.
He committed to the Vols on December 7, one of the first transfer additions for Josh Heupel after the end of the regular season. Campbell said after Tennessee’s spring practice on Thursday that his mother still hasn’t come down from the phone call when Ekeler delivered the good news.
“You know, that was a great day when Coach Ek got to call my mom and tell her I was coming to Tennessee,” Campbell said. “… I think she’s still so excited that I’m here. I know I’m still personally riding that high of getting to play for Tennessee. And I couldn’t be any more happy.”
Campbell was a Mr. Football finalist in the state of Tennessee as a senior in 2017 after being named All-State three times, was ranked as the No. 5 kicker in the 2018 recruiting class and was invited to the Army All-American Bowl.
The most important part for Ekeler, though, was Campbell’s roots.
“He’s from Tennessee,” Ekeler said, “and he wants to be here. It’s important to him.”
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It’s important to Campbell’s entire family.
“I grew up liking Tennessee,” he said. “I’m from Jackson, Tennessee, my whole family has gone to college here, my little brother is coming here, my little sister is coming here, so for me it means so much. Representing my home state and representing my whole family too, and how they’ve been living in this home state.”
He’s earned his long-awaited spot with the Vols on and off the field.
“He has a tremendous competitive spirit,” Ekeler said. “He has a great mind as far as he’s able to snap and clear, focus and refocus. He might hit a bad one, but it does not affect his next one. He really has a pro mindset, works hard in the weight room, works hard in the film room and works hard on the practice field.”
