From playing football on Pickert Field to running out of a smoke-filled tunnel for the University of Miami in front of 100,000 screaming supporters at Hard Rock Stadium, Jason Campbell’s story is far from your ordinary Hackley athlete tale.
In eleventh grade, Jason transferred from The Masters School to Hackley to join the football team. Unfortunately, Jason’s junior season was canceled because of the pandemic and he had to wait for his senior season to showcase his talents. This delay didn’t deter Jason, as he spent the entire year in the weight room and on the field honing his skills. The work paid off and Jason started reaping the benefits.
“Before playing my senior year season, just from camps I went to over the summer, I got offers from Middlebury, Bowdoin, Wesleyan, and Amherst. When I began to play during my senior season, I was getting more interest from NESCAC schools, but I was still getting ignored by bigger college programs.”
Jason was spectacular and was named Offensive Team MVP for his senior season in 2021. However, the Division I level programs weren’t calling to offer him a scholarship. Jason chose to apply to a variety of different schools, including Miami and other high-level programs and hoped for the best.
“I applied to Miami a couple minutes before the deadline. I thought, let’s just see where this goes. Miami accepted me and offered me a good academic scholarship that allowed me to afford the school, and I thought this could be my chance.”
Getting accepted was one thing, but walking onto one of the most competitive football teams in the nation would be another. Jason had his work cut out for him, but he was ready to put in the time. However, many people didn’t see his vision and questioned his choice to attempt to walk on to a D1 team, that he was not guaranteed to make, over a scholarship offer from a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) team.
“The main reason I chose Miami over other NESCAC schools is because I was set on playing at the highest level. I was confident in myself and my ability to make the team at Miami and get on the field.”
Although Jason knew he could make the team eventually, he wasn’t sure the coaches knew how dedicated he was to his vision. One day, Jason decided to put his future into his own hands.
“I decided in late June that I would fly to Miami to go meet with the football coaches in person because they weren’t responding through social media. I flew by myself to Miami and went to the facilities and was able to get the contact information for a couple of the coaches.”
Jason’s gamble paid off and by the second week of his freshman year, he had officially made the team. Miami had a pretty good season that fall, and Jason stayed to work with the team during winter workouts, spring and summer football, and through fall camp the next season to get more playing time and move up the depth chart.
Jason credits his time at Hackley with helping his rapid success at Miami. The academic rigor of his coursework helped him achieve admission into Miami and provided a smoother transition to college. Jason’s experience as a five-day boarder and working in the weight room with Coach Paterno helped him acquire a routine of living on campus that most first-year students don’t have.
Although Hackley prepared Jason well, one area Hackley couldn’t prepare him for was the atmosphere of Division I football.
“It was a huge difference playing at Miami versus Hackley in terms of the number of people and who was coming to watch. When we were losing games at Miami, people would be behind us cursing and harassing us versus Hackley where nobody’s parents are saying or doing that,” said Jason.
After a successful freshman season at Miami and another year beginning, Jason wasn’t seeing the field as much as he liked and decided to explore other options for his collegiate career.
“Last semester I decided to enter the transfer portal. I took an official visit to Lenoir-Rhyne and decided that it was a better school for me academically and athletically. I just wanted to be at a place where I could play more and get more experience. Being a walk-on is a hard path. When you are a walk-on and other people are on scholarship, you don’t get as many options. Looking into the future I didn’t see myself breaking through so I decided to transfer to a school where my talent would be appreciated.”
Now a recruited scholarship player at one of the best programs in Division II football, Jason’s vision is coming into focus. Jason is quick to give praise to those who he believes helped him get where he is, citing his religious beliefs as the foundation for his success.
“I would say there are too many people to thank. I’ve had so many people help me through this journey. One thing I live by is always giving all glory to God and He is the number one person who got me where I am. Whenever I felt alone or didn’t have anyone to talk to, I could always talk to God and read my bible. My mom, dad, sisters, and extended family really helped me train and prepare throughout the process.”
As Jason leaves his days at Miami behind and begins the next chapter of his football journey at Lenoir-Rhyne, he smiles when reminiscing about the past but is determined to go even further. To Jason, nothing can stand in his way.
“I always had that fire in me to compete and achieve my dreams. I have a true passion for football and I’m not doing it for the benefits that come along with it. People could be praising you or doubting you, but I am internally motivated and that’s something nobody can take away.”
