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George Campbell’s Transfer A Low-Risk, High-Reward Move For Penn State

Penn State received the news that former five-star recruit and Florida State wide receiver George Campbell will transfer to Happy Valley where he’ll be immediately eligible for the 2019 season.

Adding the wide receiver is a low-risk move for James Franklin, because Campbell has only one year of eligibility remaining. The potential upside of this move, however, is huge.

At the very least, Penn State is adding a veteran who can serve as a mentor for a young group of receivers, an area the team was lacking following DeAndre Thompkins’ graduation and Juwan Johnson’s and Brandon Polk’s transfers. Campbell is instantly the most experienced voice in the wide receiver room, relieving some of the pressure on redshirt sophomores KJ Hamler and Mac Hippenhammer.

Campbell has a 6’4″ frame and ran a sub-4.4 40-yard dash in high school, which led to him being rated the No. 9 player in the Class of 2015 and the No. 3 wide receiver, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. Having one of those attributes is impressive in and of itself, but very few players are both as tall who and as quick as Campbell is.

Essentially, Campbell replaces Johnson, who needed a change of scenery and announced his plans to transfer to Oregon after a tough 2018 season. As a long receiver, Campbell has a similar style of play as Johnson and just as much (if not more) raw talent.

If you want a sense of the type of player Campbell can become, here are his ridiculous high school highlights.

During an underwhelming career with the Seminoles, Campbell managed only 13 receptions for 206 yards, so this move gives him a much-needed fresh start in a place where he’ll immediately have an opportunity to compete. In terms of the depth chart, Campbell will primarily compete for snaps with Hippenhammer, Shorter, and Jahan Dotson.

If Campbell does enough to earn a regular role at wide receiver, Penn State could roll out a potentially lethal red zone package on offense. A lineup of Campbell, Shorter, and tight end Pat Freiermuth would create a matchup nightmare for opposing secondaries. All three players are 6’4″.

With the addition of Campbell, a running back duo of Ricky Slade and Journey Brown, and a wide receiver room which already has Hamler, Shorter, Dotson, and Hippenhammer, the speed on Penn State’s 2019 offense already seems like a strength.

The pressure now turns up for offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne, who holds the keys to one of the conference’s fastest offenses and a group that could terrorize Big Ten defenses.

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About the Author

Brian Bachman

Brian Bachman is a freshman in the school of communications and a contributor at Onward State. He is from northern Virginia but fell in love with Penn State a few years ago and knew after his first visit he wanted to come here. If you are a fan of the SUPER BOWL 52 CHAMPION PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (!!!) or sports in general, follow him on twitter @brianbachman_. Email is [email protected].

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