Colby Campbell
Linebacker / Presbyterian

Alex Khvatov:  What are your measurements (height, weight and forty time)?

Colby Campbell:  Height is about 6’0 and 225 pounds.    

Alex Khvatov:  How did you prepare for the 2020 season with no offseason training?

Colby Campbell:  I ended up getting lucky.  My high school coach knew a guy that had a home gym.  I worked out there for about a month and a half.  Then I went back to Gold’s gym when they opened up again.  I have been doing speed and conditioning work out on the field.  I am there by about 11 in the morning and then I hit the gym for two or three hours.  This is my routine Monday through Friday.  I rest up during the weekends.   

Alex Khvatov:  Besides football, what other sports did you play in high school?

Colby Campbell:  I played soccer and basketball.  I actually had more regional accolades in soccer than in football.  I had a D-II offer for soccer.  My freshman and sophomore year, I was a goalkeeper.  My junior and senior year, I played forward. 

Alex Khvatov:  What positions did you play in high school? 

Colby Campbell:  Everything.  I played LB, RB, FS, slot and outside WR. 

Alex Khvatov:  Coming out of high school, what programs showed interest in you?

Colby Campbell:  I had a few D-II offers.  Limestone and Newberry.  I didn’t have any D-1 offers.  A month before signing day, I played at the Shrine Bowl.  Presbyterian contacted me.  Two weeks before signing day, I went on an official visit.      

Alex Khvatov:  How did you wind up at Presbyterian? 

Colby Campbell:  It was my biggest offer.  It is a small school.  It has small classrooms and a family environment.  You get to know your professors.  It felt like family before I even stepped foot on the campus. 

Alex Khvatov:  How would you describe your overall career?        

Colby Campbell:  I started my sophomore season.  I led the team with 90 tackles.  I was second team all-conference.  Junior year, I set a record in the conference with 150 tackles.  It is a school record as well.  I also set a school record with nine sacks.  I had 20 tackles in a game, which is the most in school history.  I was first team all-conference.  I was number two in the nation in tackles per game behind Dante Olson.  I came in second for defensive player of the year last season.  I was just named preseason second team All-American by Hero Sports. 

Alex Khvatov:  What can we expect from your team this upcoming season? 

Colby Campbell:  Take it one week at a time.  I do think that we will win more games this year.  We have a decent schedule.  I can see us winning 9 or 10 games as a team.  People think that our offense is the weak point of the team.  We return a lot on defense and offense.    

Alex Khvatov:  What are your strengths?

Colby Campbell:  My knowledge of the game.  I am football savvy.  I am really instinctive.  I watch a lot of film.  I know the plays before they are run.  My lateral speed.  I have that sideline to sideline speed. 

Alex Khvatov:  What areas of your game are you trying to improve upon?

Colby Campbell:  Athleticism in general.  I can always get stronger and faster.  I have been focusing on speed and weight training.    

Alex Khvatov:  What is the highlight of your career up to this point?

Colby Campbell:  Setting the record for most tackles in a season in the Big South conference.  

Alex Khvatov:  What is the biggest lesson that you have taken away from your coaching staff? 

Colby Campbell:  Just because things aren’t going the way we expected, it doesn’t mean that we aren’t getting better.  Winning is not the only measuring point.  Three or four plays can make the difference.  We need to work on the little things, the details.  We know what we are doing as a program.  We are building and growing.  Doing something the right way.      

Alex Khvatov:  What is your favorite NFL team? 

Colby Campbell:  I am actually a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. 

Alex Khvatov:  Who is your favorite NFL player?

Colby Campbell:  When I first started watching football, Troy Polamalu became my favorite player.      

Alex Khvatov:  What players on your team should we keep an eye on for this upcoming season?

Colby Campbell:  WR Keith Pearson at receiver.  He is the biggest player on our offense.  He has sure hands and is fast as lightning.  Safety Rod Haygood hits hard.  He would come down and lay the wood.  There will be a battle between the QB’s Tyler Huff and Brandon Thompson.  Ethan Williams plays OT.  He is our best OL.  DL Tre Lanham is in my class as well.  He was pretty decent last season.   

Alex Khvatov:  Who is the best player that you have faced on an opposing team?

Colby Campbell:  RB from Wake Forest (Matt Colburn) was an absolute tank.   

Alex Khvatov:  What is the most important trait for a LB?

Colby Campbell:  Vision.  You see the play before it happens.  You read an OT or OG and where they are going.  Also lateral quickness and getting around blocks.    

Alex Khvatov:  What do you enjoy most about football?

Colby Campbell:  The feeling that I get when I play the game.  You are away from everything.  You are doing what you love.    

Alex Khvatov:  What are your hobbies?

Colby Campbell:  I play video games.  I play soccer once in a while.  Fishing and going to the lake.    

Alex Khvatov:  What do you want to do with your life after your football career is over?

Colby Campbell:  Coaching.  I want to stay around the game and affect kids’ lives.  I wouldn’t want to do it above college football level.  I want to do what my coaches have done for me. 

Alex Khvatov:  What five words best describe you?

Colby Campbell:  Relentless, passionate, outgoing, leader, and heart-speed.