Jihaad Campbell sends strong message to teammates: 'If you with us, you with us. If not... get out'

Alabama star linebacker Jihaad Campbell sent a strong message to his teammates on Tuesday after fellow linebacker Keanu Koht announced that he was entering the transfer portal.

Campbell made it clear that he is only concerned with the players who are still on Alabama’s roster, helping the Crimson Tide fight to win another championship.

“If you with us, you with us. And if you’re not, you can excuse yourself out and you can get out,” Jihaad Campbell said. “And we ain’t even got to worry about you. But everybody here is worried about what’s Alabama gonna do to keep getting better each and every day.”

Jihaad Campbell is one of the stars of the Alabama defense. The junior leads Alabama in tackles with 85, tackles for loss with 10 and sacks with 5.

Jihaad Campbell helped Alabama to an SEC title and spot in the College Football Playoff in 2023. He is looking to add to his impressive resume as the Crimson Tide attempt to close out the 2024 season strong.

“I mean really just, you know, we’re here and we’re here for a reason, you know,” Campbell said. “I mean you see it on the walls, it’s national championship numbers and it’s SEC championship or conference numbers.

“And you know, when you just think about it, we’re here for a reason. Everybody has the same ultimate goal, the same outcome goal.”

As for Keanu Koht, he filed to enter himself into the NCAA Transfer Portal on Tuesday.

Koht has spent the past four seasons with the Crimson Tide. He redshirted as a freshman after not appearing in any games but has played in 14 on defense and special teams over the past three seasons, including half of those over the course of this fall.

In his collegiate career while in Tuscaloosa, Koht posted nine tackles and half of a sack. Five of the tackles and the sack came during his games this season at Alabama.

Koht, a native of Vero Beach, Florida, was a four-star prospect in high school. He was the No. 39 overall recruit in the 2021 cycle. That’s according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also rated as the No. 4 LB and the No. 10 player from out of his state.

On3, though, ranked Koht as a five-star in his class. He was the No. 16 overall prospect as the No. 1 LB and No. 4 player in Florida back in ’21.