From The Road: Intel on On300 Michigan DL target Javeon Campbell

The Wolverine ventured to Frankfort (Ky.) Western Hills on Tuesday to meet with On300 Michigan defensive lineman target Javeon Campbell for the first time since he publicly reported an offer from the reigning College Football Playoff winners.

Michigan is pushing to get Campbell back on campus for an official visit. The junior first appeared inside Schembechler Hall this past March for spring practice. He was one of the first 2025 prospects to step foot in Ann Arbor when U-M opened camp.

Campbell wasn’t offered on the visit, but Michigan was also without a defensive line coach at the time due to the resignation of former assistant coach Greg Scruggs. However, the formal interest was ultimately extended 20 days ago when new defensive line coach Lou Esposito dropped by Western Hills and got face-to-face time with On3‘s No. 135 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class.

The drive to campus two months ago wasn’t Campbell’s first time in Southeast Michigan. In fact, he has close relatives currently residing there, including his grandfather, cousins, aunts, and uncles. He also lived in Detroit when he was younger before relocating to Kentucky’s state capitol.

As of this week, Campbell has planned official visits to Miami (May 31-June 2), Kentucky (June 7-9), Auburn (June 10-12), Alabama (June 14-16), and Georgia (June 21-23). He also mentioned on Tuesday that he’d like to get another look at the national champions. There isn’t a commitment date set, but a couple of weeks after his final official visit could be when Campbell decides.

Continued interest in Michigan this offseason has revolved around a few factors for Campbell. Among them is development on the defensive line, with the program heralding two certified first-round NFL Draft picks next year in Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. As a prospect who only began playing football last season, Campbell is raw but has tremendous measureables and a very high ceiling. So, nurturing him into a professional athlete is the objective for him and his close circle.

While Campbell is still getting familiar with Esposito, Western Hills head coach Simon Vanderpool said that it speaks to the latter as a teacher if Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore entrusted him to lead Graham, Grant, and the rest of the defensive line following a national title. Conversations between Esposito, Campbell, and Vanderpool have gone well so far, and so has contact with new defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale.

Campbell’s longest relationship with someone on the Michigan staff has been with Martindale. He first reached out to the No. 12 overall defensive lineman nationally and the No. 1 prospect in Kentucky, per On3, once he got hired. Although Martindale was last in the college prior to his arrival at U-M two decades ago, having a presence in Campbell’s recruitment has been recognized well by Vanderpool.

Relationships are also a significant factor for Campbell, and that involves the head coach of a school as well. His first look at Moore leading the operation in Ann Arbor happened on the spring visit, and from what he and Vanderpool saw during the practice, the transition from Jim Harbaugh to Moore felt natural and smooth.

Michigan isn’t the only Power 4 program working to add Campbell to its 2025 class. So is Ohio State, which hosted him twice in the spring, and others. Originally, the Buckeyes were expected to have Campbell officially visit this weekend, but he’s postponed it to in-season. It leads to the chance of U-M earning another crack to issue in-person pitches to Campbell becoming more realistic, should he be open to returning to Ann Arbor in a few months.

Having Campbell officially visit Michigan in the fall during a major game-day weekend, where he sees a packed crowd inside The Big House, provides benefit, so how things progress this summer will be worth monitoring.

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