The next steps for DJ Campbell

On3 recently ranked the Texas Longhorns offensive line as the No. 2 O-line group in the nation behind only the LSU Tigers. Not only does Kyle Flood‘s group have star power in left tackle Kelvin Banks and quality experience in fifth-year senior Jake Majors, but there’s depth in the room thanks to members of the 7-man 2022 class coming of age and earning spots on the starting five.

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DJ Campbell is a player caught in-between those two categories. He’s no star quite yet, at least not in the category of someone like Banks, but he also isn’t simply “depth.” Campbell has played in 21 games and started at right guard for every contest during the 2023. Aside from a brief stretch during the Alabama game where he rotated series with Cole Hutson, the position was all Campbell’s in 2023.

To be sure, Campbell was part of an extremely successful offense that boosted the Longhorns to a Big 12 Championship and a College Football Playoff appearance. Texas set a record for team passing yards in 2023 with 4047. The combined 66.7% completion percentage from quarterbacks and other passers was fourth best in a season in school history. The 317 completions were only behind 2008’s 343 and 2009’s 362. Plus, Campbell was part of a line that blocked for Jonathon Brooks on his way to 1158 yards and CJ Baxter as he tallied 659 yards as a true freshman. That line earned recognition as a semi-finalist for the Joe Moore Award, given annually tot he nation’s top offensive line.

And while there were highlight plays, like when he blocked two Alabama defenders and even got a piece of Adonai Mitchell on the Brooks score that made it 27-16 Texas in Tuscaloosa, there were struggles. Campbell committed six penalties during the season, including one in the College Football Playoff. One of the Longhorns failures on the goal line against Oklahoma came about because a defender Campbell elected not to make contact with and leave for fullback Byron Murphy turned out to be the one who made the second-down stop.

When looking at his Pro Football Focus stats, Campbell allowed only 16 pressures on the quarterback in 866 snaps. His overall offensive grade was 63.5 with a run-blocking score of 62.9 and a pass-blocking mark of 69.2. Within those averages were tremendous volatility. Take Oklahoma. Campbell registered a 78.7 pass-blocking grade, one of the big reasons why Quinn Ewers was able to finish 26-of-28 passing with a touchdown after a tumultuous 5-for-9 start with two interceptions. Paired with that strong pass-blocking grade was a run-blocking grade of 52.3, with the three tries at the goal line embodying Campbell’s stats from that day.

Campbell arrived at Texas as the highest ranked member of the Longhorns’ 2022 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. Hutson and Banks found the field quicker, but Campbell still registered regular snaps as a true freshman and entrenched himself as a starter during his sophomore year.

While there is competition on the offensive line, none of it appears to involve Campbell. Like Banks, no teammate whether from his 2022 class or others has a realistic chance of unseating the 6-foot-3, 332-pounder from Arlington (Texas) Bowie.

By the same token, there remains room for Campbell to grow. His PFF grades stand as evidence of that. So too does the fact that despite his five-star billing from three recruiting services and a No. 34 ranking from On3, he’s nowhere to be found on the major way-too-early 2025 mock drafts. The only Campbell that draft media is familiar with at this juncture is LSU’s Will Campbell.

That could change very quickly in the 2024 season. Campbell and company will face a stiff test early in week two against a Michigan Wolverines team that returns its star D-tackles off its national championship squad. What follows is a Southeastern Conference slate that features more quality defensive tackles than in the Longhorns’ previous home of the Big 12.

There’s a quality example for Campbell to follow in Christian Jones, who went from nearly unplayable in 2021 to fifth-round pick in 2024. Campbell won’t need a position switch to reach his potential, but Jones showed the younger linemen how to approach each day and improve. In the process, Jones became one of the best linemen in the Big 12 and did it right by Campbell every single play.

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The 2024 season is one Campbell is sure to be a key part of at right guard. What Campbell does with it may determine if he lives up to his five-star potential in time for the 2025 draft or if one more season might be necessary to build up his 2026 stock.