Will Campbell : All posts

Slimmed down Will Campbell says he owes Michigan football fans a great senior season

Michigan football senior defensive tackle Will Campbell is down to 310 pounds, and says he owes Wolverine fans a great senior season.

Jeffrey Smith | AnnArbor.com

Not by choice, but more out of necessity.

Overweight and out of shape for most of his career, Campbell generally spent the first week of Michigan football practice catching his breath and figuring out how he'd make it through the first month of the season.

Not this time, though.

"I'm not huffing and puffing anymore," the senior defensive tackle said after practice Monday. "I'm not dying right now."

Greg Mattison tells BTN that Michigan senior DT Will Campbell 'has to be' the leader up front in 2012

Michigan senior defensive lineman Will Campbell "has to be" a leader next season, UM defensive coordinator Greg Mattison says.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

All spring, Michigan football coach Brady Hoke sung the praises of senior defensive tackle Will Campbell, explaining how far he's come on and off the field.

Hoke was hopeful Campbell would be able to fill a leadership role next fall for the Wolverines.

Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, meanwhile, seems a bit more than hopeful.

"Will (Campbell) has to be (a leader on the defensive line)," Mattison said in a recent interview with the Big Ten Network's Tom Dienhart. " If you don’t have someone right in the middle of that defensive line and ‘backers and safeties, then you are gonna have a problem. Will has done everything we ask him to do to try to prepare to be the best.

"He’s one of the hardest working guys we have had this summer. We are excited about what he’s doing."

U-M senior defensive tackle Will Campbell pleads guilty to misdemeanor, must pay $2,100

University of Michigan senior defensive tackle Will Campbell must pay $2,100 in restitution after admitting to sliding across the hood of a car in Ann Arbor in April.

William Campbell

Courtesy of the University of Michigan

Campbell pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of malicious destruction of property worth more than $200 but less than $1,000 in court Thursday morning. In exchange for the guilty plea, Washtenaw County prosecutors dismissed his felony charge of malicious destruction of property worth more than $1,000 but less than $20,000.

Will Campbell's status with Michigan football team has not changed in light of felony charge

Will Campbell's status with the Michigan football team has not changed, coach Brady Hoke said Thursday.

The senior defensive lineman is facing one misdemeanor and one felony count of malicious destruction of property. The charges stem from an incident that occurred in the early morning of April 7, when Campbell allegedly attempted to slide across the hood of a vehicle in Ann Arbor.

Analysis: Michigan not happy with its defense in spring game, showing just how important Will Campbell is for next season

Michigan defensive tackle Will Campbell weighed 356 pounds the first time he set foot on campus. The senior says he's down to 310 pounds and hopes to play this season at 305 pounds.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Denard Robinson set an NCAA record for rushing yards by a quarterback, and will be a third-year starter this season for the Michigan football team. Roy Roundtree has twice led the Wolverines in receiving.

Will Campbell has 19 career tackles and one start.

Which of the three is unlike the others?

Yet, there the senior was, his big, sweaty stomach exposed by a rolled-up jersey, leading the Wolverines onto the field with Robinson and Roundtree for their spring game Saturday at Michigan Stadium.

The defensive tackle's effort has been questioned in past years. He has called himself lazy. He's been a bust.

But after a spring game that didn't reveal much, mostly because of the limited snaps for Robinson and also the skeleton game plans for both units, one thing is abundantly clear: The Wolverines are pinning a lot on Campbell.

Done with excuses and no longer 'lazy,' Will Campbell hopes for big senior season at Michigan

Senior defensive lineman Will Campbell says he has slimmed down to 315 pounds and is determined to have a standout season for the Wolverines.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

For most of last season, the consensus on Will Campbell's struggles centered around leverage.

Or, more specifically, lack thereof.

Whether it was Michigan football coach Brady Hoke, fellow defensive tackle Mike Martin or senior defensive end Ryan Van Bergen, the answer to why the 6-foot-5-inch Campbell struggled to find consistency was his struggle to stay low at the line of scrimmage.

Campbell heard all the excuses made for him a year ago and every year before that. But this spring, he's done listening to them.

Now a senior and down to his last college football breath, he's done making them, too.

"It probably wasn't me being tall," Campbell said with regard to his past leverage issues. "It was probably me being lazy."

Jordan Kovacs, Will Campbell among new Michigan football leaders this spring

Michigan senior strong safety Jordan Kovacs had 75 tackles, four sacks, one interception and two forced fumbles last season for the Wolverines.

A year ago, the answer was simple.

When spring camp opened, the Michigan football team had two clear leaders on defense in senior linemen Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen.

This spring, Martin and Van Bergen are busy preparing for the NFL Draft, leaving the door open for new voices to emerge inside the defensive huddle.

Of those voices, one isn't a surprise. The other is, though.

"Defensively, (senior safety Jordan) Kovacs is a guy who shows a great deal of leadership," Michigan coach Brady Hoke said. "And I think Will (Campbell) is trying to step up as a leader."

Michigan football staff hoping Will Campbell can finally turn a corner this spring

For Will Campbell, the sand in the hourglass of his Michigan football career is starting to thin out.

The time for the once ballyhooed five-star defensive tackle to fulfill his promise is waning, and Campbell's journey to become a productive member of Michigan's defense officially began Saturday when the Wolverines opened spring practice.

Campbell has a shot to play a big role this season. Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison said Monday he doesn't just believes the 6-foot-5, 322-pound senior can perform this season.

He expects him to.

"Here at Michigan, maybe more than any place, as a senior you're expected (to excel)," Mattison said. "It's so much in them, that when you are a senior, that is your job. That is what you had better do.

"Don't come out there as a senior and not improve. Don't do that. That's not accepted here."

Opinion: From loaf to starter: Michigan's Will Campbell gets spotlight to show he's turned a corner

Will Campbell is lighter and more confident as he heads into what likely will be the first start of his career at Michigan.

File photo

The defensive lineman has been a gifted player since his youth in Detroit, always bigger and more dominant than the guy across from him. He drew consensus five-star ratings from recruiting experts, and landed in Ann Arbor as the Michigan football team's most heralded recruit in years.

Campbell hasn't come close to fulfilling any of that potential, and it's because of his head, and maybe his heart.

Now, after three mostly disappointing seasons, he isn't just going to play consistent snaps for the first time in his career.

Campbell is expected to be thrust into his first starting assignment tonight because of a foot injury to defensive tackle Will Heininger, and it will come in the program's highest-profile game in five years, a Sugar Bowl matchup against Virginia Tech (8:30 p.m., ESPN).

Notebook: Michigan defensive tackle Will Campbell receives more praise for his improving play, growing role

Michigan junior defensive lineman Will Campbell high fives fans in the Michigan Stadium tunnel

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Oh, and there was a quarterback flattened beneath him.

The junior defensive tackle who has struggled with weight, conditioning and expectations for much of his career had, in one play, provided a snapshot of what that ponderous body can do.

Michigan football team isn't giving up on Will Campbell, not even close

Junior defensive tackle Will Campbell has his weight down and is finding his game, Michigan players and coaches say.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

If anyone knows how dangerous Michigan defensive tackle Will Campbell can be, it's sophomore safety Thomas Gordon.

High school teammates at Detroit Cass Tech, Gordon saw how Campbell became one of the country's highest-rated recruits.

"If he comes in low," Gordon says, "you can't stop him."

As teammates on the Michigan football team, though, Gordon's also witnessed how the 6-foot-5, 322-pounder has turned in a largely disappointing college career to this point.

Notebook: Highly-touted Will Campbell has 'earned' more playing time, says Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison

Because of his play against Notre Dame on Saturday, and his improved practice habits, Michigan defensive tackle Will Campbell (73) has earned more playing time.

Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com

But after showing signs of life against Notre Dame on Saturday with a key third-quarter fumble recovery, Campbell may finally be making his 6-foot-5, 322-pound presence felt.

Because of his play Saturday, and also because of his improved practice habits, defensive coordinator Greg Mattison said Tuesday that the former five-star recruit has "earned" more playing time.

opinion: 3 things sure to be on Brady Hoke's mind during today's closed Michigan football scrimmage

Michigan football coach Brady Hoke hopes to have more of his two-deep roster figured out after today's closed scrimmage at Michigan Stadium.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Two weeks of the Michigan football team's fall camp are in the books. Two weeks remain before its season opener against Western Michigan.

And we still don’t know much about this team, other than it’ll show up to play Sept. 3 with 11 guys who play offense and 11 guys who play defense. There just might be 11 players who play special teams, too, although we’re still waiting for comment on that one.

Yeah, it’s been one of those camps.

Brady Hoke and Greg Mattison, two old defensive line coaches, try to get the most from Will Campbell

CHICAGO -- Will Campbell was a five-star recruit and ranked the country’s fourth-best defensive tackle when he set foot in Ann Arbor in 2009.

They don’t get much more heralded than that.

Two years later, he has five tackles.

What happened? And when -- or will -- the inconsistent Campbell start meeting the lofty expectations that followed him from Detroit Cass Tech to the Wolverines?

eye on the wolverines: Final thoughts and observations from Michigan's spring football game

Two players emerged on the defense. Nobody emerged at running back.

Everyone is talking about Denard Robinson. No one is talking about this one key statistic.

Will Campbell’s back home at defensive tackle, and three-year starter Mike Martin is exploring beyond defensive tackle.

Yep, it was a busy Saturday for the Michigan football team. The Wolverines wrapped up their 15 allotted spring practices and showcased their progress under Brady Hoke before heading into the summer. Here are some final thoughts, questions and leftovers in my notebook from Michigan’s spring football game:

notebook: Rich Rodriguez's first Gator Bowl, Will Campbell's status at guard and more Michigan football news

The game took place nearly 30 years ago. The details are still fresh in Rich Rodriguez’s mind.

“It’s funny how you remember certain things,” he said of his first Gator Bowl in 1982. “It was a night game at the time. It was a little chilly. It was my sophomore year.”

Rodriguez, a backup tight end for West Virginia, didn’t start against Florida State. But he did play on the kickoff team. Right from the start, he knew it wasn’t his night.

notebook: Will Campbell might move to guard for Michigan football team

Will Campbell was welcomed onto the Michigan football team as a high-profile defensive line recruit. He may wind up making his mark on the offensive side of the ball.

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said Tuesday that Campbell, a 6-foot-5, 333-pound product of Cass Tech in Detroit, could move to guard this week.

“He may be better suited to play guard,” Rodriguez said.

notebook: 'Slim' chance Martavious Odoms returns this season, status of Will Campbell and more Michigan football notes

Martavious Odoms is expected to undergo surgery either today or tomorrow on his broken foot, and chances are “slim” that he’ll return to the Michigan football team during the current season, Rich Rodriguez said Wednesday.

“There’s a possibility that he can get back later in the year, but we’re really not sure,” Rodriguez said, whose team hosts Iowa on Saturday (3:30 p.m., ABC).

In Odoms’ place at the 'Z' receiver position, the Wolverines will start Junior Hemingway, who has battled injuries and illness throughout his career, but stayed healthy enough this season to become a big-play receiver.

Michigan football team hoping 3-3-5 defense solves some of its issues

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez speaks to reporters before Tuesday's spring practice.

Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez wants to give opposing teams a variety of different defensive looks this year, depending on what type of offense they run.

“We got to have enough in our package that it’s simple enough for our guys to understand yet have enough schemes to be in the right type of defense to face (a variety) of offenses,” Rodriguez said Tuesday, before Michigan’s fourth spring practice. “As we go through 15 practices, we’re going to look at a few of those things without making it overly complicated for the players.”

Season wrap: Michigan football team needs big things from these 5 players in 2010

After two consecutive losing seasons, the Michigan football needs to make a bowl game next year. Here are 5 players whose progress this off-season will help determine the Wolverines’ fate in 2010: