Logan Campbell of French Camp Academy is the 10th member of the Star-Herald “Top 11 To Watch” to be unveiled. They are being revealed in no particular order on a week-by-week basis and all six of the schools in the Star-Herald coverage area — Kosciusko, Ethel, McAdams, French Camp, Central Holmes and Winona Christian are represented. Previously announced as members the Top 11 were Antonio Harmon and Kobe Carter of Kosciusko, Dalton Wiggins, and John White of Winona Christian School, C.J. Johnson of French Camp Academy, Kyle Nabors of Ethel, Jace Dean of Central Holmes Christian School, and Jalen Perteet and Tromone Bailey of McAdams High School.
French Camp head football coach Nathan Wright says senior Logan Campbell is one of the most versatile players on his team. He is big and fast with good hands and good feet. Wright said Campbell could be a successful fullback or tight end.
But there is just one thing about Campbell. “He has a lineman’s mentality,” Wright said. “He loves playing on the line, on both the offensive and defensive lines. He loves to pancake people and that’s just his passion. He goes for the pancake and that’s the kind of mentality that you have to have with your offensive lineman. Right now, he wants to play offensive and defensive line and that’s what we are going to let him do.”
It is that type of can-do attitude that Wright likes out of his senior lineman, whom he said is a very athletic kid at 6-foot, 230 pounds.
“Logan is an easy going kind of kid and is fun to be around because he is so easy going,” Wright said. “But in terms of getting things done, he is ready to get it done when he hits the field. He just has that lineman mentality all of the way, but he is a kid that is versatile enough that he could do a lot of stuff. He could make a great fullback or tight end but he does not want to do those things. He can really do a lot of stuff. He is agile and can do a lot of things. I think he would somebody a good super back or fullback at the next level. He could easily do that for somebody. He’s got really good feet.”
As one of the few seniors on the offensive line, Campbell realizes what his role is for the Panthers this season.
“Since we have a lot of younger guys, I hope they look to me to kind of see what to do and to learn,” Campbell said. “Because when I started, I wasn’t really all that good but I was always big. I just hope that they look at me and say if they work hard enough, they can get better. I’m just trying to be a leader. Everybody is telling me I have to be a leader for the younger kids. Most of these kids don’t stay here for a long time. They are here for a year or two and then they are going. Maybe I can make an impact on them in that time.”
Wright said Campbell is the kind of player at you can build a team around “He is the one you build the rest of the crew around,” Wright said. “He isn’t going to be arrogant. He is down to earth and humble and is going to give you great effort. He’s what you want to play with. If we had five like him up front, it would be a lot more fun, that’s for sure. He can just flat out play.”
Campbell has been at French Camp all of his life and will carry a solid academic background. Campbell said he makes As and Bs in the classroom and has already make a 24 on the ACT. Campbell said he has not made up his mind as far as college is concerned, but said he thinks he would like to be an engineer.
“He gets after it and he takes care of his football and his academic stuff,” Wright said. “He is the kind of kid that you want on your team. He is a quiet leader, even though he takes care of his business very loudly in how he plays. But verbally, he doesn’t say a lot.”
On defense, Wright said it is not hard to figure out where Campbell is going to line up; it is going to be opposite of the opposing team’s best offensive lineman.
“The way he plays up front, we aren’t asking him to make a lot of tackles,” Wright said. “But he’s going to take on a lot of blocks and keep the lineman off our linebackers. But he’s going to run to the football. But he’s one of those guys you could put him on the other team’s best guy and he would always maintain his own and you need that. There were games when we might have to move him to defensive end and he could hold his own in there. He had a great year for us.”
On offense, Wright said Campbell will probably end up at guard.
“He is probably going to play guard because that is where we want and need him to play,” Wright said. “He is athletic enough to pull and has good feet. And pulling is the fun part of playing offensive line. Ideally, that’s where he will play and he has done that since the ninth grade. Of course, you never now what might happen with injuries but as of right now, he is a lineman.”
