The last month in the transfer portal has been a blur for new Virginia defensive end Jack Camper.
Within a day of putting his name in the portal in mid-December, the former Michigan State lineman had heard from more than two dozen schools. But Camper knew he wanted get closer to his native Virginia—Camper’s 93-year-old great grandmother is among his family in Virginia Beach—and decided to limit his options to within a four-hour radius from home.
After entering the portal, Camper finished his classes at Michigan State then made the 15-hour drive to Virginia. He flew to Atlanta to watch the Spartans beat Pitt in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on December 30th—then made the long trip back to East Lansing with a U-Haul trailer in tow to bring back his stuff until he’d settled on his next college destination.
At some point—Camper can’t recall exactly when—he heard from UVa. At first he was in contact with director of high school relations Blanda Wolfe, who got the lineman in touch with the Cavaliers’ fledgling coaching staff. Camper’s described his first talk with new UVa coach Tony Elliott as more of a conversation than strictly a discussion of football. If an offer was made, Camper didn’t realize it.
He was back on the road this weekend, this time headed to Charlottesville for a visit with the new UVa staff. He was still considering his options when he arrived in town Friday afternoon. But after dinner with the coaching staff at Aberdeen Barn that evening, “I pretty much knew I was gonna end up committing at that point.”
“After I got to speak with the coaching staff and really see the campus and everything that Virginia had to offer,” Camper explained to CavsCorner, “I was really dead-set on coming here.”
Camper wasn't recruited by the previous UVa coaching staff coming out of IMG Academy in 2017 (Camper played his final two high school seasons at IMG after beginning his career at Frank W. Cox High School in Virginia Beach). As a 757 native, he knew of new defensive assistant Chris Slade’s reputation as an All-American defensive lineman from his playing days at Virginia, but Camper had never met anyone on the new UVa staff prior to this weekend's visit.
Camper spent time with both Slade and Keith Downing, another newly-hired defensive assistant who had spent the previous three seasons coaching defensive ends and outside linebackers at Navy. New defensive coordinator John Rudzinski was not on hand for the visit, but Camper had had a few previous recent phone conversations with the former Air Force DC.
The staff made a strong impression on the transfer.
“All of them were just down-to-earth guys that love football the same way I do,” Camper said. “They love football. They love hitting people. The physicality of football. They hit every single box for me and I loved it.”
Camper also appreciated how Elliott’s faith-based values aligned with the D-lineman’s. Camper sat in on Elliott’s Junior Day welcome speech to the high school recruits in town on Saturday “and his whole intro into that presentation was about how he came to faith.”
“That was something that I personally had never seen a coach do before, give his testimony out like that,” he added. “And pretty much every other coach was like that.”
Camper also spent time on Saturday breaking down film with Downing and discussing the lineman’s schematic fit. Originally recruited as a tight end, Camper moved to the defensive line while redshirting in 2017. In 28 career games for the Spartans, he logged 29 tackles, with 4 1/2 for a loss including a sack, plus one fumble recovery.
The transfer declined to reveal any details of the scheme the new UVa coaching staff is considering, but did say that Downing envisioned the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Camper as a strongside D-end pass rushing as a 3-technique in that scheme.
At one point during that film session, Downing stopped to ask Camper if he had any questions for the coach.
Camper chuckled as he recalled, “I was like, ‘Coach, I’m loving what I’m seeing, but I don’t know know if I have an offer or not.’ It was never explicitly said outright."
“And he was like, ‘Yeah you’ve got an offer! We want you here!’”
Downing immediately tracked down Elliott to close the deal. The blur of the transfer portal was about to be in Camper’s rear-view mirror—but a new whirlwind about to start.
Once the excitement of Camper's official commitment died down, he was approached by a UVa staff member about filling out an application and signing his grant-in-aid. He has a few days to find a place to live—Camper is currently staying with a family friend who lives in Charlottesville—before classes start on Wednesday.
Camper has two seasons of eligibility remaining. He only appeared in three games for the Spartans last fall, missing most of the year after tearing a tricep in practice in mid-September. He’s still rehabbing that injury after surgery to improve strength and mobility, with his status for spring practices yet to be determined.
Whenever that moment comes, Camper is eager to get on the field with his new teammates and coaches.
“I am pumped up to be on campus—or to be on Grounds. Excuse me. I’m still getting used to that,” Camper said Sunday with a big laugh.
“I’m pumped up to be here,” he added. “I’m pumped up to be back in the state. Being here in Charlottesville and having the opportunity to continue my education at such a prestigious university and then play ACC football, I couldn’t be more fired up for it.”
JOIN CAVSCORNER TODAY!
If you are not already a member of CavsCorner, come join us and see what all of the buzz is about.
Click HERE to subscribe and get all of the latest news and join hundreds of other UVa fans in talking about Cavalier football, basketball, and recruiting. You won't be disappointed!
