5-star offensive lineman Devon Campbell is 'program-changer' for Texas

Soft-spoken offensive lineman Devon Campbell has one of the meanest games of any player in the country. He now represents the future of Texas football.

Campbell, a five-star offensive lineman, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average, signed with the Longhorns on Wednesday. Oklahoma was the other finalist for the mauler from the Dallas Metroplex. 

Campbell, the No. 33 overall player in the country, caps a star-studded Longhorns haul along the offensive line this cycle that also features On3 five-star tackle Kelvin Banks as well as in-state four-stars Neto Umeozulu, Cameron Williams, Cole Hutson and Connor Robertson. The nation’s top-ranked interior offensive lineman, Campbell represents an immediate upgrade for Kyle Flood’s unit upfront as soon as he arrives on campus.

Flood spearheaded Texas’ efforts with one of the nation’s best maulers.

“Unlike a lot of people, Devon keeps to himself. He’s a soft-spoken kid. He keeps his circle small because he only likes people he trusts around, and I think that’s a great quality,” Arlington (Texas) Bowie head coach Joseph Sam told On3. “That’s how he handled his recruitment and the reason he chose Texas is because, throughout his recruitment that’s the school that truly tried to learn about him as a person and not just a football player.”

Flood lands ‘program-changer’

Sam was tabbed as Bowie’s coach before Campbell’s senior season. In true form, the On3 consensus five-star did not immediately embrace the new figure in his life. Sam worked at forging a relationship with him and even accompanied him on a few unofficial visits.

Flood followed a similar blueprint and eventually cracked Campbell’s hard outer shell. The entire Longhorns staff followed suit, which resulted in a colossal win over rival Oklahoma on the recruiting trail.

“Coach Flood did an awesome job building a relationship with him outside of football and that goes for a lot of other coaches on the Texas staff, too,” Sam added. “He’s big on trusting you. They tried to learn about him outside of being a football player. Lots of coaches miss that on kids and they focus on the football side. They want to show how they can help you as a football player, but these guys talked about helping him as a person. Those guys took the time out to get to know him more as a person.”

“In the world of college football today where coaches are leaving left and right, whether they’re fired or pursuing better opportunities, the thing that gets lost is the relationship piece,” he continued. “Kids don’t go to a school because of a name. Devon went to Texas because of the people at the school.”

In Campbell, Texas landed a top priority in what is a star-studded haul in the trenches. Flood’s stamp on the 2022 class is transparent and highlighted by Wednesday’s final addition.

“The No. 1 thing with Coach Flood is that he recruited him at Alabama and he wasn’t jumping in late. It wasn’t foreign to Devon when he took the job at Texas,” Sam said. “Flood loves how Devon plays the game, how explosive he is, the athlete he is. For Texas, he was priority No. 1. From a Texas standpoint, he’s a program-changer. They already signed a good offensive line class, but Devon is the alpha dog. They’re going to do a good job of holding each other accountable.” 

Longhorns add OL with attitude

The 6-foot-4, 325-pound Campbell is the No. 1 interior lineman and No. 33 overall in the country. A dual-sport athlete and excellent basketball player capable of running the floor and finishing on the other end, Campbell possesses rare athleticism for the position paired with overwhelming power and agility. He’s a finisher that’s dominant in space and plays with a massive chip on his shoulder. 

During the offseason, Campbell was excellent in 1-on-1s and can pass protect with the same tenacity he displays in the run game. He’s been used on both sides of the line, multiple spots from tackle inside to guard, and is equally impressive firing off the line and out-physicaling the opposition. He’s an immediate-impact blocker for most programs and certainly should be for Texas.