'It's almost impossible to find': Penn State coaches dish on why Amare Campbell was the right fit

Penn State found itself unexpectedly in need of middle linebacker depth halfway through spring practice. The usual reason for that, an injury, was not the reason why. Instead, the situation arose from third-year linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson’s decision to hit the transfer portal before ultimately ending up at USC. It led to head coach James Franklin to offer a direct message following the Blue-White game to any linebacker similarly in the portal: We need help, and we might be reaching out to you. That process culminated with the Lions landing Virginia native Amare Campbell in May. He is now on campus, and the early reviews are promising.

Franklin, who enters his 12th season with the Lions, fairly told reporters last week that, unlike some other positions, linebackers can be hard to evaluate without pads on. But, he was willing to say that “based on first impressions, it’s been good.” Which, shouldn’t come as any great surprise, considering everyone from Lions linebacker Tony Rojas to former UNC coach Mack Brown “pounded the table” for Penn State to take the 6-foot, 230-pound junior who has 90 tackles (13 over 24 career games) and 7.5 sacks.

Penn State found what it needed in Campbell

‘Linebacker U’ legend Dan Connor, who now coaches the position at his alma mater, said Campbell, who wore the green dot helmet as a Tar Heel, meaning he was taking the play call and giving it to his teammates, is just what Penn State needed. On one hand, his position group badly needed depth, and so what else would he be expected to say? On the other hand, Franklin and Connor continued to drive home one key point: He has produced at the college level. And from that standpoint, he has actually outpaced the player he replaces on the roster. It doesn’t hurt, either, that the Manassas native has two years of eligibility left, meaning he has time to grow under Connor’s tutelage.

“He has proven production, which is the first thing that’s going to jump out when you’re watching all these kids in the transfer portal,” Connor told reporters last week. “And, this is proven production at a big-time program. Then, you start to watch his tape, and he’s jumping out on tape as a guy who can not just play within a scheme, but create plays. Really good blitzer, plays well in space, sideline-to-sideline guy.

“Then getting to know him when he came up here, and realizing, ‘Oh, he has multiple years left to continue to grow, and he’s open to grow.’ That’s always what I want to see when they come up, whether it’s a recruit or a portal kid, are they open to coaching, or do they feel like they’re a finished product? And once I saw that he had that desire to want to improve and be coached, those are guys who usually can adapt really quick to a new system, a new culture, and then grow exponentially.

The weekly rundown: How many PSU wrestling connections will make Team USA on Saturday?

“So, every single box or concern that you would have bringing a new person into a room that you feel really comfortable with, and we have a good connection going in here, he answered all those on the field, off the field, and in the future, a future growth opportunity, is a big advantage to get in the portal.”

Campbell is now prepping to fight for playing time in Jim Knowles’ 4-2-5 scheme. He’ll have to earn it, of course. But, his past says he should be able to, and even if it’s just rotational snaps, Penn State will take those in year one with hopes of his role swelling in year two, if it doesn’t happen this year.

“He was able to get on the field, at the MIKE spot with a green dot at a big-time program, and then produce,” Connor said. “It’s just hard to find guys like that. And then it’s even harder; You get to know his family. They’re very good people, very humble people. He’s very modest, and he’s hungry to learn and get better. So, like, it’s almost impossible to find.

“The transfer portal is very hard to deal with and get through. But getting a guy who fits a position of need, but also he is a Penn State type of kid. He has that stamp. He’s a Penn State guy. He’s going to do things the right way, he’s going to be humble, he’s going to work to prove who he is and get the rewards at the end. But he’s open to the process of getting to that point.”