Current Alabama assistant helped Tennessee land important transfer addition
A current Alabama Crimson Tide assistant football coach helped the Tennessee Vols land an important transfer portal addition this offseason. Vols offensive lineman John Campbell, who is expected to start at left tackle for Tennessee this fall after transferring from Miami, admitted on Monday while speaking with reporters that he didn't initially want to transfer […]
A current Alabama Crimson Tide assistant football coach helped the Tennessee Vols land an important transfer portal addition this offseason.
Vols offensive lineman John Campbell, who is expected to start at left tackle for Tennessee this fall after transferring from Miami, admitted on Monday while speaking with reporters that he didn't initially want to transfer to UT.
"I'm not gonna lie, I shot down Tennessee," said Campbell. "Like, in my mind I'm not gonna go to Tennessee. I wanted to go somewhere else, but it just felt like the right decision."
Part of the reason why Campbell decided to transfer to Tennessee is because of current Alabama defensive analyst Charlie Strong.
Strong, a former Florida Gators defensive coordinator, was Miami's co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach last season. And he vouched for Tennessee in conversations with Campbell (Strong was the head coach at USF from 2017 to 2019 and current Vols linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary was his defensive coordinator).
"So who really made me want to go Tennessee was — I'll give a shoutout to Charlie Strong and Trent Williams," said Campbell.
"Coach Strong, he said he knew a coach over here and he said they'll take care of me as a place where I fit at," added Campbell.
Strong wasn't the only reason why Campbell chose to transfer to Tennessee. He was also happy to learn that Knoxville has a conveniently located Waffle House, something that wasn't the case at Miami.
"They got Waffle House, that's a place I like," said Campbell. "At the U, there really wasn't a Waffle House — it was like 40 minutes away. So I already like it here."
Strong didn't land at Alabama until after two months after Campbell committed to the Vols. So it's not like Strong was on Bama's staff actively helping Tennessee land a key offensive lineman.
But thanks to Strong's recruiting pitch on behalf of the Vols, Alabama will have to face a Tennessee offensive line this fall that will be a bit stronger than it otherwise would've been.
If Tennessee beats Alabama again in 2023, Strong might have to avoid Nick Saban for a few days.
The big secret about Tennessee in 2023 that no one in college football is talking about
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Featured image via Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
