How Penn State football alumni are performing in the USFL
The inaugural season of the United States Football League (USFL) is through four games, and two Penn State players have taken part. Defensive back Christian Campbell is a regular for the Tampa Bay Bandits, who are off to a 2-2 start to the season. Campbell missed Tampa’s most recent loss to Birmingham with a thigh injury and is listed as questionable moving forward.
With three games under his belt, Campbell has 11 tackles to his name, including nine solo tackles.
Through four contests, the Bandits have allowed 176.3 passing yards per game — the third-most in the eight-team league.
They’ve also allowed 77 points, which is also the third-most in the league.
Campbell played for Penn State from 2014 to 2017. He became a starter for the Nittany Lions during his final season on campus, earning an All-Big Ten honorable mention during an 11-2 season that concluded in a victory over Memphis in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Arizona Cardinals drafted Campbell in the sixth round in 2018, but waived him before he played a game.
He’s joined by defensive end Shareef Miller, who has seen his New Orleans Breakers get out to a fantastic 3-1 start to the season.
Miller played for Penn State from 2015 to 2018, accumulating 14.5 sacks at the college level. The Eagles drafted him in the fourth round, but he made only one appearance.
Like Campbell, Miller did not appear in the box score for New Orleans’ most recent game — a victory over Houston.
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Miller is listed as probable on the New Orleans roster page moving forward.
The edge rusher has made a strong impact during the three games he has taken part in to this point.
Miller has 12 tackles and 1.5 sacks through three contests. He has caught the eye of some media personalities as well, including Ian Hartitz of Pro Football Focus:
Penn State coach James Franklin gives take on USFL
Speaking to the Big Ten Network shortly after the USFL began play last month, Penn State coach James Franklin said he believes the game is a net positive for football as a collective.
“It’s great for a lot of those bubble guys to have the opportunity to continue to play and have a chance to be developed,” he said. “And some of those guys are going to have great stories where they’re going to make it to the NFL and have great careers and these other opportunities played a part in that.
“So I think it’s great. I think the only thing that’s smart is that they’re not trying to compete with the NFL anymore. They’re embracing the NFL, where, in years past, people tried to take on the NFL. And I don’t think that was a wise model. So I think this makes a whole lot more sense.”
