Former Miami offensive tackle John Campbell transfers to Tennessee

Tennessee may have just grabbed their starting right tackle for the upcoming season. Miami offensive tackle transfer John Campbell announced his commitment to Tennessee on Monday.

Campbell is an interesting portal story. As a 3-star recruit out of high school in 2018, Campbell was considered a project tackle. But the various injuries and roster shuffling in Miami meant that Campbell was playing earlier than expected. He saw action in 11 games in 2019 as a redshirt freshman, and he even started in a couple. He then made four starts in 2020, although Campbell was one of the weaker parts of the line.

He then missed the 2021 season in order to recover from a leg surgery. Finally, in 2022, Campbell seemed to put a lot of it together. An injury to a teammate meant that Campbell would start at left tackle for the Hurricanes in 11 games. While Campbell did not grade out exceptionally well, it was by far his best year of play and showed that he could contribute at a decent level.

Campbell entered the portal about three weeks ago, and he immediately had a strong list of suitors. Teams linked to Campbell include Florida State, USC, Florida, and obviously Tennessee.

There is a real chance that Campbell is Tennessee’s starting right tackle when the Volunteers kick off the season in 2023. Mainstay Darnell Wright has declared for the NFL draft, and the Volunteers are also losing longtime contributor Jerome Carvin. While left tackle is probably going to be one of Gerald Mincey or Jeremiah Crawford, the right tackle spot is completely open. We expect Campbell and fellow transfer Andrej Karic to compete for that spot.