ORLANDO, Fla. — Tennessee offensive tackle John Campbell Jr. will conclude his first season with Tennessee in his hometown of Orlando, Fla. when the Vols take on Iowa in the Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium on New Year's Day.
The Miami transfer played high school football just about 15 minutes from Camping World Stadium at Dr. Phillips High School, and he immediately endeared himself to Tennessee fans with his entertaining press conferences and standout moments on the field.
Before the season, Campbell admitted that he wasn't sure Tennessee was for him while he was in the transfer portal considering schools.
"I'm from Florida, come to Tennessee I thought it was just going to be flat land," Campbell said. "I came out here, I'm like, 'Dang, it's a city?' Looked cool, food was good, they have Waffle House, that's a place I like."
Campbell immediately let Vol fans know the type of player he was when he blocked a player all the way out the back of the endzone during Tennessee's season opener against Virginia. He knew it was a great block, but he wasn't prepared for the amount of attention he ended up getting.
"I was like woah, that's so crazy like I have never been on ESPN," Campbell said. "It's crazy looking at that block."
In just a few months, Campbell went from a guy who didn't know anything about Tennessee to someone certain he wanted to come back for another season. Vol Nation has shown its support for the left tackle, and he can definitely feel it on the field.
"It just felt like I was on that primetime stage. It was lit, it was crazy, it was great, it was electrifying," Campbell said. "It was just crazy for me, I never really had any fans before like that."
