Ducks show faith in Texas DB

Some guys just have an innate desire to work hard and push themselves to the limit regardless of what life throws at them. That would be an apt description for Corpus Christi (Tex.) Flour Bluff CB Jalen Campbell.

In 2013, he won the defensive back MVP at the Houston Rivals Camp presented by UnderArmour against the best competition in Texas.

Soon after, the University of Texas under head coach Mack Brown offered him a scholarship and the next week he accepted. Then life delivered adversity when he suffered a knee-injury during his team's spring game. Rehabilitating from that cost him his junior season.

Last December Brown was forced to resign as the Longhorns' coach following another campaign which did not meet the program's expectations. When Charlie Strong was hired as his replacement the verbal scholarship offer to the recovering Campbell was not carried forward.

"With the new staff they were acting a lot different than Mack Brown and them," Campbell explained. "I committed when I was a sophomore. When I committed we thought it was the right fit. We really liked the coaches and we loved the atmosphere and how everything was. When they left the fit just wasn't the same so we ended up decommitting after the new staff got in there."

Turns out the Texas Longhorn's loss could become the Oregon Ducks' gain.

Following a gutsy performance at the March Rivals camp in Houston during which he displayed 100% confidence in his rehabilitated injury, Campbell was rewarded on Thursday, the day of this year's Flour Bluff spring game, with a scholarship offer by Oregon defensive backs coach John Neal.

"He (Neal) flew to Dallas and talked to some of the guys he was recruiting in Dallas. Then he drove to Waco then Austin to San Antonio then he made his last stop here in Corpus Christi to come see me. I got to talk to him a little bit and he offered me."

"I was really excited. One of my good friends out of San Antonio is (Class of 2014 Oregon commit) Arrion Springs who I have been going to camps with for years. He was saying 'If you get an Oregon offer you better commit.' It was kind of up in the air. We didn't know if I was going to get it or not. So when Coach Neal told me I was very excited."

This year at the Houston Rivals camp Campbell made all the cuts on both legs and showed no hesitation or fear.

"My recovery has gone great and I feel 100%," said Campbell. "They doctors say you aren't fully healed until a year from your surgery and that was June 7th last year. So now I just feel great and I am doing fine."

But the Ducks are no shoe-in as other schools are after the 5-foot-10, 174-pound athlete.

"I received an offer from TCU about a month ago," Campbell recalled. "I got offered from Texas State about a week ago. So far TCU, A&M, Alabama and Oregon are the main schools recruiting me. I still talk to Texas but the others are the main schools I really am in contact with."

Was he tempted to commit on the spot as his buddy Springs suggested?

"No sir," Campbell answered. "Me personally I can't commit without seeing Oregon. I have never been West past Arizona. So definitely I won't be deciding until I visited and I told Coach Neal this. He supported it. He said he would hate for me to commit without seeing the school and me get there and don't like it and want to leave. So after I go visit Oregon and go visit all these schools that are recruiting me, then I will be able to decide."

"I was talking to my dad about visiting up there and we might be able to come out in late July along with my mom. I don't know how serious he is but we talked about it."

The timing of his college choice is still up in the air but a distinct possibility is late summer.

"My dad would like me to commit before we start our season," said Campbell. "If it is between TCU and Oregon like it is now I will go up and see Oregon pretty early and then make the decision. But if there are a whole bunch of other schools that offer that are out of state and I am going to have to take an official to get there easier, then my commitment will be later in the season."

Will the Ducks' early faith in his rehabilitation be a mark in their favor when he does make his choice?

"Oh yes definitely."