John Campbell wanted to get noticed at Tennessee … and went viral in his first game
John Campbell was talking about it a month ago. He transferred from Miami to Tennessee in part to get noticed. He wanted to play under a brighter spotlight and felt like the Southeastern Conference would provide just that.
“I felt like I had a good year last year,” Campbell said at the time, “but I felt like I didn’t really have a lot of exposure just playing there at the other place. Just the difference in the fans.”
Tennessee games are sold out, Campbell said, with nearly 102,000 fans at Neyland Stadium. At Miami, there’s too much other stuff. The Heat and the Dolphins, for example.
“We got all these teams,” he continued. “So like fans, it’s too much, you know what I’m saying? Our games (at Miami), not a lot of people were there. so I just feel like the SEC is a big stage to play on and something good to get my exposure up there.”
John Campbell: ‘I’m just trying to just go out there and just give my all for the team’
Tennessee’s 6-foot-5, 320-pound starting left tackle probably didn’t expect to go viral in his first game with the Vols.
That’s what happened during one of Dylan Sampson’s four touchdowns, though. Campbell matched up with a Virginia linebacker during Tennessee’s 49-13 win over the Cavaliers and pushed the defender all the way to the wall behind the end zone.
“I’m just trying to just go out there and just give my all for the team,” Campbell said, “and just make plays like I said I was gonna do.”
As soon as ABC showed the replay, the clip started going viral on social media. It was still going viral on Tuesday, when Campbell met with reporters.
“My phone (was) going crazy,” Campbell said, “it’s still blowing up right now. I had to turn notifications off.”
Up Next: No. 9 Tennessee vs. Austin Peay, Saturday, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Campbell said he was talking about the block with Tennessee offensive graduate assistant Kevin Pendleton on the sideline after the play. It wasn’t until later that he was told how much the clip was being share.d
“I ain’t never been on ESPN,” he said. “(It was) just crazy looking at a block like all my friends and family, like my mom.”
What Campbell has done before, he said, is make plays just like his viral one on Saturday. The only difference is getting noticed. And to continue to make plays that get noticed.
“I mean I could always do that,” he said. “I just felt like I could always make plays like that. I did it before. I mean like even I had a good plays at Miami, just probably never got noticed. That’s like the main reason (I came to Tennessee), I just wanted to just get noticed. I just wanted to just have some appreciation.
“… We’re just trying to help the team out and just make plays and it’s just a great, great play I made and I’m just wanna make more of them.”
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