Ole Miss linebacker Chance Campbell Declares for NFL Draft
OXFORD — Ole Miss linebacker Chance Campbell has declared for the NFL draft as announced via his Twitter Saturday morning.
“I’m ready for the next step and excited that I’ll be declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft,” Campbell said in his statement.
Campbell, who could have returned for another season because of an additional year granted to players during the COVID-affected 2020 campaign, thanked the town of Oxford, Rebel fans, teammates, support staff, coaches and family.
He directed specific gratitude directed to former Ole Miss and current A&M defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin who had recruited Campbell to Maryland. Durkin was announced this week as the new defensive coordinator for the Aggies.
Excited for the Next Step! pic.twitter.com/xTZGEYOxMA
— Chance Campbell (@ccam42) January 8, 2022
The Maryland transfer’s impact on the Ole Miss defense this season was immediate and consistent. In the regular season, Campbell led the Rebels with a team-high 99 tackles, ranking him fifth overall in the Southeastern Conference.
Chance Campbell with the defensive play of the game so far pic.twitter.com/RsL8hAd9nm
— T.J. (@TJOxley1) October 9, 2021
He notched 10 tackles in the Sugar Bowl, 8 solo, to finish with 109 on the season — a season that saw Ole Miss finish with a school-record 10 regular-season wins. He also added 11 quarterback hurries in 2021, six sacks, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
Malik Cunningham wasn’t giving the ball up on this fourth-down play, and Chance Campbell knew it. pic.twitter.com/Y1dIZ5m2gn
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) September 7, 2021
It is certainly not an understatement to say that Campbell’s leadership was as important to the team as his physical abilities.
“He’s been everything to this team,” said Ole Miss co-defensive coordinator Chris Partridge during a Sugar Bowl media opportunity.
“He’s come in and he just showed who he was as a person to get integrated so fast and win the starting spot with his leadership. He was viewed day one as a leader on this team and a competitor. He leads with actions, not as much words. He’s a worker, he’s a film watcher. He loves the game and he brings guys along with him to really show them the way on how it’s supposed to be done. It’s hard to put into words what he’s meant to this team. He’s really been incredible for us.”
Ole Miss Co-DC Chris Partridge on Chance Campbell
From day one of his arrival in Oxford, Campbell’s workmanlike attitude was evident.
“I’d say I walked into a great situation,” said Campbell.
“I think you can try to handle it as best as you can, but if you don’t have the people around you who make it easy to do so and make it a comfortable situation, then things might be different. It couldn’t have been further from the truth here. I walked in and everybody was welcoming and accepting. I didn’t have to go out of the ordinary or do anything out of the ordinary or even try too hard. I just had to put my head down. I think guys respect it when you work hard. You do that and just try to go from there.”
Chance Campbell on playing for the Rebels
(Feature image credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
