An Alabama football linebacker is off to the NFL.
Jihaad Campbell, a junior linebacker out of Erial, New Jersey, announced Thursday he would forgo his final season of college eligibility and enter the 2025 NFL Draft.
“I feel like I am ready now to take the next step in my career,” Campbell said in his statement. “I have been blessed to make it to this point, and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for me.”
Campbell is the first Alabama player to declare for the draft. LT Overton announced Wednesday he would remain for another season with the Crimson Tide.
Jihaad Campbell stats: How did the Alabama LB perform?
Campbell played in 13 games and made eight starts for Alabama as a true sophomore in 2023, recording 66 tackles, four tackles for loss, three pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, 0.5 sacks, an interception and a fumble returned for a touchdown.
Campbell’s production exploded under defensive coordinator Kane Wommack in 2024.
A first-team All-SEC honoree, Campbell led the Crimson Tide with 117 tackles, adding a team-high 12 tackles for loss, a team-high five sacks, two forced fumbles, two pass deflections, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Campbell was a five-star linebacker in the 2022 class and was rated as the No. 21 player and the No. 2 edge rusher in the country per 247Sports’ composite rankings.
Who will replace Jihaad Campbell for Alabama football?
Alabama seemingly has its answer in Justin Jefferson, who is widely expected to return for a sixth season, and Colorado transfer Nikhai Hill-Green.
The Crimson Tide also has a few young linebackers that could fill that position.
Freshman Justin Okoronkwo, a three-star linebacker in the Class of 2024, had 14 tackles this fall and was one of Jay Nunez’s go-to options on kickoff and punt return duty. Four-star linebacker Cayden Jones also could fight for reps.
Redshirt sophomore Jeremiah Alexander is a former inside linebacker who moved outside at the start of the 2024 season. He has eight tackles in three seasons for Alabama, while Yhonzae Pierre will also be in the running for playing time, backing up Qua Russaw at Wolf.
Alabama has other four linebackers that will be in the running for depth chart spots: Justin Hill, Darrell Johnson, Luke Metz and Abduall Sanders Jr.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him atcgay@gannett.com or follow him@_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
