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Maryland linebacker Chance Campbell to transfer to Ole Miss

The All-B1G selection will arrive in Oxford this summer.

By Zach Berry
NCAA Football: Maryland at Penn State Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Maryland Terrapins’ middle linebacker Chance Campbell announced in January that he had entered the transfer portal after an All-Big Ten honorable mention season in College Park.

And now he is heading to Oxford, Miss. to join Lane Kiffin’s roster.

This past season he finished second in the conference in tackles per game (11.0) and third in solo stops per game (5.7). He led the Terps in tackles (43) and tackles for loss (5.5) and had 1.5 sacks in just five games.

Campbell’s move to Ole Miss isn’t all that surprising. He was recruited to Maryland in 2017 by the Rebels’ co-defensive coordinator, DJ Durkin. The former three-star from Calvert Hall (Md.) chose Maryland over notable offers from Army, Boston College, Columbia, Dartmouth, Duke, Harvard, Indiana, Michigan State, Navy, Penn, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, West Virginia, and Yale. He was also receiving significant interest from Penn State and Stanford.

Maryland head coach Mike Locksley had high praise for Campbell after his breakout junior campaign:

“He’s made a ton of plays for us, which in our scheme and the position that he plays, the middle linebacker is kind of the quarterback of our defense,” Locksley said. “He’s one of those guys that brings the juice every day. He’s reckless with his body, plays with great effort, passion, all of the pillars that we have in our program. He represents them the way he plays the game and prepares. So it’s good to see him show and lead by example, especially with a young team, and it’s great to have him on our side and doing great things.”

The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder brings high-level attention to detail and an impressive awareness to the position and Durkin’s defense. The middle linebacker was a volume tackler for a Terps’ defense that finished 66th in the country, per SP+ rankings. Campbell, along with Lakia Henry, Jacquez Jones, and Momo Sanogo, will be one of the most experienced units in the SEC.

Add to the fact that the Rebels added four potential instant impact defensive linemen in Jamond Gordon, Isaiah Iton, Tywone Malone, and Taleeq Robbins and the Ole Miss defense has the potential to be vastly improved up front in 2021.

Campbell will be immediately eligible in 2021 and will have two years remaining.