Tennessee Vols transfer addition describes what it was like to play in Neyland at night against South Carolina
Tennessee Vols left tackle John Campbell saw Neyland Stadium at its best on Saturday night during UT's 41-20 win against the South Carolina Gamecocks. And it blew him away. Campbell, who transferred to UT from Miami after the 2022 season, met with reporters on Wednesday during Tennessee's bye week and he said playing in Neyland […]
Tennessee Vols left tackle John Campbell saw Neyland Stadium at its best on Saturday night during UT's 41-20 win against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
And it blew him away.
Campbell, who transferred to UT from Miami after the 2022 season, met with reporters on Wednesday during Tennessee's bye week and he said playing in Neyland at night made him feel like he was on a primetime stage.
"I am not going to lie, the stadium, the fans, it just felt like I was on that primetime stage," said Campbell. "It was lit. It was just crazy just seeing all the people out there. It was deep and loud. The crowd really brought that juice because it was sold out before, but they really brought that juice at night. It was just great. It was electrifying. It was crazy for me."
"I have really never had fans before like that," added Campbell. "So it was great just seeing a sold-out packed-out crowd that's into it, juiced up and rooting for us. It was crazy to me for real."
It's not like Campbell is a transfer that came from a small school, by the way. During Campbell's time at Miami, he played in some great environments.
(I wouldn't say that Campbell's comments were a "shot" at Miami in any way, but it's also evident from his comments that Miami's atmosphere doesn't compare to Tennessee's.)
Last season, for example, Campbell started all 12 games for the Hurricanes. That included a road game at night against Texas A&M, a noon game on the road against Virginia Tech, and a 3:30 PM ET game in late November against Clemson.
Campbell obviously didn't have the fans on his side in those games since he played for Miami, but he still saw some great atmospheres during his time with the Hurricanes. And what he saw on Saturday night in Knoxville still blew him away.
Neyland has always had a great atmosphere, but it really feels like fans have taken things to another level (that UT fans haven't seen in a while) sine Josh Heupel's arrival in early 2021.
