Jihaad Campbell’s journey began at Timber Creek. Now the eye-popping LB is closing in on his NFL dream.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — As youngsters from the Special Olympics completed their footwork drills and celebrated with a touchdown dance during the NFL Play 60 event Wednesday morning at Titletown Park ahead of the NFL draft that starts Thursday night, Jihaad Campbell was right alongside them, flashing a big smile across his face.

That same smile and joy has shined through Campbell since high school, where Timber Creek coach Brian Wright recalls meeting the then-16-year old from Erial, N.J. Wright took over the Timber Creek football program in 2020, following Rob Hinson, who left the high school program for a role at Rutgers.

“Even at that point [in his football career], you could tell [Campbell] was just different,” Wright said by phone. “I’ve been lucky enough to have coached a handful of guys that have gone on to the NFL. And one common trait that these guys all have is they just look different, right? They look different than their contemporaries. They present themselves in different ways. And Jihaad was no different.”

For three seasons, Campbell was a star at Timber Creek, playing a hybrid edge rusher and off-ball linebacker role, along with wide receiver. Ahead of his senior season, Campbell transferred to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., which “kind of broke our hearts,” Wright said.

But from South Jersey to Bradenton, then Tuscaloosa, Ala., to Green Bay, Campbell carries his roots with him to the cusp of achieving his dream at the NFL draft.

“[I’m] just a kid from New Jersey,” Campbell told The Inquirer with a smile on Wednesday. “Ain’t nobody from New Jersey out here. So I always got to represent, I got to put on for where I’m from. But, you know, most importantly, I just stay true to myself.

“I always just pictured my younger self, like those moments when I was playing Madden, and I always would visualize me in some type of game, or some type of format of me playing the game that I love right now. It’s just a dream come true.”

If you watched Alabama last fall, you probably noticed a blur wearing the No. 11 jersey in the middle of that defense. But before Campbell became a breakout star for the Crimson Tide at linebacker, his speed and explosiveness at receiver, particularly, left a lasting image for Wright.

During a game in Campbell’s junior season against Delsea, a state powerhouse, Campbell showed just how fast he was in the open field.

“We called a slant on our 30-yard line, and our quarterback, Donovan [Leary], who’s down at Tulane right now, hits Jihaad, who takes it across the field 70 yards for the winning touchdown,” Wright said. “And I remember him just catching it, and you see a big smile on his face when he catches it.

“I still see those kids trying to chase him from behind, [and Campbell] just increasing the distance between him and the closest defender as he got closer to the goal line. He was a special kid.”

That season proved to be Campbell’s breakout. He collected 45 tackles, seven sacks, and two receiving touchdowns. He transferred to IMG Academy to further his football development and gain more national exposure, but his love for the school in Gloucester Township has never wavered.

“Timber Creek, that was my first [initiation], like, ‘All right, you are a football player,’” Campbell said. “You’re getting offers; you’re doing your thing. You’re around like-minded people. … I just want to give a special shout-out to them because I know that they’re a little program, but you know, I appreciate that school so much. The coaches and the teachers and the principals, that whole environment that paved the way for me, and that helped me throughout my journey.”

After transferring to IMG, Campbell touched base with future Alabama teammate Tyler Booker, one of the top offensive line prospects in the 2025 draft.

Campbell, once a Clemson pledge, ultimately decommitted after Brent Venables left for the Oklahoma head coaching job. In his search for his next school, Campbell got a nudge from Booker, who already made his intentions known to play for Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide.

“I [told Campbell], ‘All you got to do is what I’ve been telling you to do for the past four months, coming to Bama,’” Booker said Wednesday. “So he went on to visit Texas A&M, he went to Bama the next night, and he called me to say, ‘Yeah, T-Book, you was right.’ I’m like, ‘Man, I know I’m right. Come on [to Alabama].’

“Being able to play with him for another three years, go against him during practice, and really make each other better, it’s just truly been a blessing,” Booker said. “I love that man. That’s my brother.”

On national signing day in December 2021, Campbell opted to sign at Timber Creek instead of IMG Academy. It was a moment that showed the type of person he was, Wright says.

“We all leave home at some point. If it truly is home, you make your way back, and that’s what Jihaad did,” Wright said. “He’s a tremendous young man who’s very easy to root for.”

Campbell became a two-year starter at Alabama and particularly stood out in 2024, when he finished with 117 tackles (12 for loss), five sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception in 13 starts, garnering buzz as a potential first-round pick in the lead-up to Thursday night. The case was strengthened by his standout NFL scouting combine workout, when he ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash and leaped a 10-foot, 7-inch broad jump after measuring in at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds.

In the draft’s green room on Thursday, he will be joined by Alabama teammates Booker and quarterback Jalen Milroe, which Campbell calls a “surreal moment.” He’ll also be one of two Philly-area stars attending the draft, as North Philly’s Abdul Carter, the Penn State star defensive end, is expected to be a top-four selection.

Campbell, who had surgery on a torn labrum after the combine, is expected to be ready for training camp, and will have several family members in attendance for the draft, including his parents, grandparents, uncles, and two brothers, all of whom traveled from South Jersey for the occasion.

His high school coach, Wright, has stayed in contact with Campbell over the years, and will be watching in front of his television, ready to celebrate one of his former stars reaching the NFL. And he’s prepared to add to his jersey collection, with one caveat.

“Other than a Jerome Brown jersey hanging in my closet, I don’t have many jerseys, but I will. I will be buying a Jihaad Campbell jersey wherever he goes,” Wright said, “unless it’s Dallas. I wouldn’t be able to do that.”