University of Tennessee Athletics
Corey Campbell: Rookie on the Rise
October 31, 2003 | Football
Oct. 31, 2003
Vols Campbell a rookie on the rise
Tennessee's Corey Campbell wonders what all the fuss is about.
Campbell, a freshman free safety, was thrust into his first collegiate action when senior Rashad Baker went down with an injury in the Vols' Southeastern Conference showdown with nationally ranked Georgia Oct. 11. Most in the Neyland Stadium sellout crowd of 107,517 - roughly 100,000 more than the largest crowd Campbell ever saw surround the Westfield High School field in Spring, Texas - were likely apprehensive about replacing the Vols' defensive field general and a preseason all-SEC choice with an untested rookie.
Yet Campbell stoically jogged onto the field to do the job he'd been preparing to handle for the past several weeks.
"When I first came here, Coach (Phillip Fulmer) kept telling me over and over that I'm one step from starting," Campbell said. "I just kept that in mind. Ever since I came here, I've always been ready to play. I've been on the sidelines just watching (Baker), learning from him."
Campbell's matter-of-fact demeanor that night impressed Vols defensive backfield coach Larry Slade, but didn't surprise him.
"He's kind of got a quiet confidence," Slade said. "He's not a rah-rah guy. He's not a guy who makes noise. He's only 18. In fact, he just turned 18. But he's been out there before ,and I don't think it fazes him. He sees himself as a guy who should be out there."
Showing flashes of what Vols' coaches think will be an all-star future, Campbell climaxed his big-stage debut with an interception.
OK, maybe a little nervous -- Campbell admits to only a fleeting case of the jitters.
"The first play I was kind of nervous," he said. "I was like, `Wow, I'm in front of 106,000 people,' and I was looking up in there. But then after the first play I just started catching on real quickly. I was getting to know the game, see how the players move, and what the speed of the game was. I just felt relaxed by the end, and that's when I got the interception."
Campbell received an even bigger baptism when Baker dropped to the turf with a twisted knee midway through the first half at Alabama Oct. 25. Tennessee's 51-43 win was a five-overtime marathon - barely long enough to fit in what seemed like a season's worth of do-or-die Vols' defensive stands. And as afternoon stretched to evening, the 6-foot-3, 195-pounder transformed from emergency substitute to playmaker. He racked up 11 tackles, including nine solos, with a pass breakup and the second interception of his two-game career.
The one that got away
Slade was perhaps most encouraged after the play that Campbell didn't make.
Caught out of position by scrambling Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle, Campbell gave up a 51-yard aerial strike that set up a go-ahead touchdown for the Tide late in the fourth quarter.
"He made a bad play," Slade said. "There was a scramble and he kind of came out of coverage. That's an experience thing, we talk about it and we work on it, but sometimes it has to happen for you to learn, and it happened to him.
"But the thing I was really pleased with was his reaction after it happened. He was feeling as confident as ever. He apologized for letting it happen and just said, `Coach, I'll make it up to you.' I really liked his maturity in that situation."
With Baker on the sidelines for one more week, Campbell is penciled in for his first collegiate start, against Duke Nov. 1. Yet in Slade's mind, his young free safety has shed rookie status.
"He played 60 or 70 snaps against Alabama," Slade said. "We've already thrown him in there. We feel a lot better about where he is right now than we did for some freshmen who had to start right away and really weren't ready. Corey has got a lot of reps and has improved to the point where we're very confident that he can get the job done."
More than fast
Campbell was a 100-meter track standout in Texas, but Slade said his talent can't be measured with a stopwatch.
"I think he's a good athlete," Slade said. "But I think his knowledge of the game, his ability to learn, just the way he has picked things up, are his biggest strengths. You'll see him out there getting guys lined up. I've had juniors and seniors who couldn't do that. That's about football intelligence."
Baker has offered to share his knowledge and Campbell is an eager student.
"He's been like a big brother to me," Campbell said. "Whenever I'm feeling confused or feel like I'm doing something wrong, I go to him for advice."
But while the teacher mends, the student prepares for his starting assignment.
"It feels great," Campbell said. "I'm ready to start my first college game. I just hope to step up, make plays and help the team win."
Larry Happel
