Tennessee football has been very active in the portal, picking up its second commitment of the day. This time, the Vols fill a future hole on special teams.
Indian Hoosiers place kicker Charles Campbell announced his commitment to Tennessee on Wednesday via Twitter.
Campbell heads to Knoxville with one year of eligibility left just as Chase Mcgrath is out of eligibility. Ironically, McGrath was also a transfer, from the USC Trojans, in 2021.
Joining Campbell for competition to replace McGrath next year will be Max Gilbert, a preferred walk-on from Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis as the two incoming specialists for the 2023 season.
Out of high school, Tennessee football expressed interest in Campbell but did not have space to bring on another kicker at the time. Brent Cimaglia was their starter then and had an All-SEC campaign in 2019.
Now, with Brooks running out of eligibility, a spot has opened for Campbell to come home. He is originally from Jackson, Tenn., attending high school at the University School of Jackson.
In 2018, Campbell was ranked as the No. 9 kicker in the class of 2018 and the No. 53 prospect from Tennessee.
While at Indiana, Campbell made 39 of his 51 kicking attempts. He was a perfect 73-73 on extra points. His career long is 55 yards.
However, his production decreased each year, as he went from 100 percent to 91 percent to 72 percent to 70 percent on field goals. It wasn’t like he attempted tougher field goals either, as his missed his first kick within 30 yards this past year.
On field goals 40 yards or longer, Campbell is 19-of-25, and he is even 5-of-7 on field goals 50 yards or longer. On the other hand, he was only 9-of-13 on field goals inside 40 yards this year.
Being automatic within 40 is more important than being capable beyond 50 at the college level. Campbell will likely be the favorite to take over kicking duties next season and bring experience to Tennessee football, but he needs a bit more consistency.
