George Campbell is one of the fastest athletes in the Class of 2015, and he could have a future as a big-play wide receiver.
Campbell comes from East Lake High School in Tarpon Springs, Fla. He has good size at 6'3, 184 pounds, and his reported 40-yard dash time of 4.36 seconds is incredible. As of February 2014, Scout and Rivals rate him as five-star athlete, while ESPN and 247sports have him as a four-star. He's listed as the top athlete in the class by ESPN and the 247 composite ratings, and Rivals and Scout list him as the No. 1 and No. 3 receiver, respectively.
With such impressive attributes comes an impressive list of scholarship offers. Campbell holds 35 offers from top programs around the country, including Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Alabama, Nebraska, Penn State, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Miami and Ohio State.
Fans can follow Campbell on Twitter at @GeorgeCampbell0.
Let's get into what makes Campbell so intriguing and what he still need to work on.
Campbell is only 185 pounds, but I believe he has the frame to play at 210 pounds or more down the line. He has phenomenal athleticism. His top-end speed is excellent, but he has better acceleration than many would expect for a tall player. That's important because it suggests Campbell will have the ability to run better routes, and a greater variety of routes as he continues to develop -- not just deep balls.
At times, I've seen Campbell use his excellent athleticism to leap into the air and high-point catches, but that does not happen often enough.
After the catch, Campbell has the speed and acceleration to take it the distance, but like you'd expect for a player who is almost 6'4, he does not have great wiggle.
Campbell's long arms raise the possibility of him having a great catch radius, but catching is his biggest issue at this point -- and one that doesn't show up on highlight films.
Through his junior season, George Campell has not become a consistent pass catcher. I recently spoke about this with fellow recruiting analysts Barton Simmons and Derrell Warren via Twitter. We all agree it is obvious that Campbell is an incredible athlete. But his hands and lack of natural feel for the position prevent him from dominating like a player with his physical abilities should.
.@bartonsimmons Totally agree. Campbell is a 6-star athlete, but you have to catch the football as a receiver.
— SB Nation Recruiting (@SBNRecruiting) February 25, 2014
.@SBNRecruiting yep, u can look at the NFL combine and see how many big fast guys are out there. The first rounders have the whole pkg
— Barton Simmons (@bartonsimmons) February 25, 2014
@coachdub2911 @bartonsimmons we've all see him drop the ball way too much, coach. If he had better hands, he'd be the clear cut #1 receiver
— SB Nation Recruiting (@SBNRecruiting) February 25, 2014
@coachdub2911 @SBNRecruiting he's still top 40 in the entire country. so we obviously still love him
— Barton Simmons (@bartonsimmons) February 25, 2014
@SBNRecruiting @bartonsimmons Looks shaky even when he does make the catch @ times. What happens when the passes have more velocity
— YouthSportsSanDiego (@yssd) February 25, 2014
Warren raises the question about how much better his hands can become, and I think that is one of the most important questions. Certainly, work with the jugs machine can help someone improve his catching, but can it turn him into a natural pass catcher?
@SBNRecruiting @bartonsimmons The main thing folks differ on is whether he'll ever catch the ball consistently. I'm in the "skeptical" camp
— YouthSportsSanDiego (@yssd) February 25, 2014
What about the other side of the ball? Campbell is actually a pretty good safety, showcasing impressive range and speed. But most every big school on his list wants him on the offensive side of the football.