Alabama made another splash addition to its 2022 class, landing elite edge rusher Jihaad Campbell on Wednesday. The IMG Academy star — originally from New Jersey — chose the Crimson Tide over Texas A&M. And it all came together quick after Campbell de-committed from Clemson last week in the wake of Brent Venables leaving for the Oklahoma job. Nick Saban was able to get Campbell on campus for an unofficial visit last Friday night, which ultimately sealed the deal for UA.
“It’s a great school,” Campbell told 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins this week. “You know they win championships and their program is built on success.”
Campbell’s yet another addition from the IMG pipeline, the third Alabama commit in 2022 alone, joining Tyler Booker and Jaleel Skinner. Last cycle we saw UA sign JaCorey Brooks and JC Latham from the Florida powerhouse. In years past, guys like Dylan Moses, Trey Sanders, and Stephon Wynn have come to Bama from IMG Academy.
Credit defensive coordinator Pete Golding and the rest of the staff for getting this win on the recruiting trail.
At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Campbell is rated the No. 9 edge defender and the No. 78 overall player in the country, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite Rankings.
Here’s Campbell’s 247Sports evaluation:
“Terrific length. Gifted with large hands. Should continue to fill out slender frame over the next few years and eventually get up to 225 pounds or more. A twitchy pass rusher with an explosive first step that consistently brings pressure off the edge. Uses quick countermoves to slide past offensive tackles drawing them in with a slight dip of the shoulders or a little head fake. Doesn’t let many, if any, quarterbacks slip out of his reach once he’s in striking distance. Willing face-up tackler, but at his best when he’s in pursuit hawking down ball carriers. Spent much of his junior season lined up with his hand in the dirt, but is expected to spend senior season working at linebacker as the staff at IMG Academy believes in his coverage skills, which makes sense given how he moves in space. Tested off the charts once he transferred into the national powerhouse posting the highest vertical jump out of all the non-skill players. Also ran a short shuttle in the 4.2 range. Must add some core strength and bulk up if he’s ever going to be asked to anchor in the run game, but long limbs and play speed give him one of the highest ceilings out of any defender in the 2022 cycle. Tweener traits might be concerning to some, but his ability to get after the quarterback on some downs and drop back on others is rare and valuable. Likely to be a multi-year contributor for a Top 25 program. NFL upside.”
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