Elite 4-star DL Isaiah Campbell commits to Tennessee: ‘They’re competing for national championships’

Durham (N.C.) Southern four-star defensive lineman Isaiah Campbell backed off his pledge to Clemson on Sept. 21. Following his announcement, North Carolina and Tennessee emerged as serious contenders to land the 6-foot-3.5, 265-pound recruit. 

Both schools received visits from Campbell, who wanted to choose a program based on academics, football and God. After making a “very tough” decision, Campbell has committed to the Volunteers and will join head coach Josh Heupel and his staff in Knoxville. 

“The biggest reason why I am going to Tennessee is because they have great men of character,” Campbell told On3. “They have coach Tim Banks, coach Heupel and coach Rodney Garner. They’re competing for national championships. They are competing in the SEC and they have a great program. I’ve liked learning what they talk about in the d-line room and they’re making men of character there…  

“They say Coach Garner is a coach that is hard on you, but at the same time, he loves you even harder. That was big for me because… I want a mentor in college. I feel like he will be a great mentor for life and a great coach. I love it. I loved multiple schools in my recruitment, but I had to pick one. Coming from that, I love Tennessee and went with it.” 

Campbell is ‘blessed with the opportunity’ to play for Tennessee

Campbell is excited to grow on and off the field at Tennessee. He hopes to achieve multiple goals with the Volunteers, including becoming a Freshman All-American and an All-SEC player, as well as making the SEC’s Academic Honor Roll. 

Campbell visited Rocky Top for Tennessee’s win over Alabama on Oct. 19. That day made a big impression on the No. 2 player in North Carolina. 

“That stadium was rocking,” said Campbell, the No. 37 overall prospect and No. 4 defensive lineman in the 2025 On300. “They tore down the goalposts while I was there. They smoked cigars in the locker room. It was so loud there that the sound was deafening. As a recruit, sometimes an experience like that can have an impact on you and make you want to commit there immediately. So at that moment, I took it in and got overwhelmed a little bit. I had to compartmentalize that and be like, ‘Okay, this is an experience. You have to look at the x’s and o’s of why you really want to go here.’ 

“I love the fans. God bless the fans because they root for their team. I don’t care if they’re going against the University of Texas or they’re going against an FCS school. That fanbase is going to be there and they’re going to love Tennessee. They’re going to love Rocky Top. I love the fans, I love the culture and I love the people that pour themselves into the program. I want to be a part of it. I’m blessed with the opportunity to do so.”