University of Minnesota Athletics
Campbell Heating Up in the Desert
9/23/2020 4:30:00 PM | Football
Former Gopher linebacker turning heads with the Cardinals
The X factor – better known as former University of Minnesota linebacker De'Vondre Campbell – has been turning heads in his first season in Arizona.
Campbell, who played his first four seasons in Atlanta after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, signed in the desert this past off-season and has been one of the top players for the 2-0 Cardinals.
The 27-year-old has 17 tackles this year and has also broken up two passes, earning high praise from head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
"He's been kind of an X factor so far and I'm hoping as the season goes on, he get gets even more comfortable in our system and he continues to improve," Kingsbury told the media after Arizona's win last Sunday against Washington. "You watch where he was at and he was all over the field. Whether it's the run game or the pass breakups, I mean, he was everywhere. He's got great length, he's got great instincts and he's a matchup with any tight end in the league and we've got some great ones we play against."
Campbell finished the Washington game with 10 tackles, included two tackles for loss and two pass breakups. This comes after he totaled seven tackles in his Arizona debut, which was a win against the San Francisco 49ers.
Campbell played three years at Minnesota, starting 27 games and playing in 39. He made 208 career tackles, which included 129 solo stops as a Gopher and tallied 16 career tackles-for-loss and 6.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. Campbell also notched two career interceptions, one of which he returned 30 yards for a touchdown at Michigan in 2014.
As a senior, Campbell led the team in sacks with 4.0 and finished third in tackles (92) and solo tackles (53). He also tallied 6.5 tackles-for-loss, broke up three passes, made one interception and forced one fumble. Campbell was named All-Big Ten Honorable Mention as a senior by both conference coaches and media.