By Larry Vaught
Javeon Campbell did not know a lot of football history when Western Hills coach Simon Vanderpool persuaded him to join the football team last year but a lot of people know about him now. Not only has the 6-5, 260-pound defensive lineman been ranked as the state’s top player by one recruiting service, but he’s also now a top 200 player nationally.
If that’s not enough, he’s already been invited to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl after playing just one year of high school football.
“He is going to be better this year just because he is actually watching football now,” Vanderpool said. “We went to Auburn for a visit and they showed him Cam Newton’s Heisman Trophy and he had no clue who he was. At Alabama, he had no clue about (running back) Derrick Henry.”
Henry also won the Heisman Trophy and a national championship like Newton did. Both have also been successful NFL players.
“He really had not even watched football before,” Vanderpool said. “If you saw film of him last year he was just competing but he really did not know what he was doing.”
One current NFL player that Campbell does know is Wan’Dale Robinson, a record-setting performer at Western Hills and then Nebraska and Kentucky. He now plays with the New York Giants.
“Wan’Dale, you see him in the NFL, but he is such an incredible young man,” the Western Hills coach said. “They have been talking. The last time Wan’Dale was in town he said to hook me up with Javeon because he wanted to help mentor him and help through the (recruiting) process any way he can.
“Wan’Dale came back for our alumni night last year and talked to the team. He is such an incredible human being himself and it has been special to see those two connect with each other. Being from the same schools is special but their personalities and how good they both are really makes it cool to see.”
