Notre Dame Has Impressed Fast Rising DL Javeon Campbell
Two weeks ago, Notre Dame added an extremely talented defensive lineman to the offer board in Frankfurt (Kent.) Western Hills standout Javeon Campbell. The 6-5, 260-pound defensive lineman is one of the biggest risers in the 2025 class, and the Irish are making a run at the talented lineman that is coming off of his first year of playing high school football in 2023.
Campbell wasted no time making his first trip to South Bend, making it to campus last week. He traveled with his head coach at Western Hills, Simon Vanderpool, who gave some context on that visit. From the sounds of it, Notre Dame really opened up some eyes.
"We made it out to campus Thursday last week,” Vanderpool told Irish Breakdown. "I’ve been to a lot of places and every school has phenomenal facilities. Everyone has qualities that are similar. The combination of favorites, history and prestige that Notre Dame brings to the table is really unique.”
That all around profile that the Irish bring to the table seems to appeal to Campbell. It aligns with his values, his criteria and exactly what he’s looking for.
"He really is an old school kid,” Vanderpool said. "Javeon is looking for a great education, he’s looking for the whole package. He doesn’t want to make a decision based on one part of the package. He wants to make sure that it aligns with all of his interests and goals.”
Campbell's recruitment has been blowing up over the last couple of months. All of his offers have come since his junior season ended. Plenty of schools have shown increased interest in a very short amount of time, including Notre Dame. The Irish staff has made an outstanding early impression.
"Javeon really tries his best to talk to everyone,” Vanderpool explained. "He appreciates all the coaches and schools reaching out, so he wants to do it right and make sure he gives everyone a fair look. He really is an impressive kid that way. He is so thoughtful and respectful of others.
"Al Golden was the one who came out to the school and offered Javeon,” he continued. "Since then he has really been developing a good relationship with Al Washington and the staff. They definitely have his attention so far.”
Even though things are happening very quickly for Campbell, he has already developed a timeline for wanting to make a decision. He’s a player that won’t pop quickly but certainly looks like he might be worth the wait,
"His plan right now is committing before his senior season, which is pretty typical,” he said. "He wants to get to where he needs to get to this spring. Then after spring, Javeon will schedule official visits. These next few months are about learning everything he needs to know about these schools and coaches.”
It will be interesting to see how firmly Notre Dame stays on Campbell. There is clearly high interest early and they appear ready to fight for the fast rising defender.
When you talk about fast risers, there isn’t a defensive lineman in the 2025 recruiting class that fits that billing more than Campbell. He is currently only ranked by 247Sports, currently sitting as a three-recruit and ranked as the No. 42 edge defender in the 2025 recruiting class. Obviously his offer list tells a different story, holding offers from the Irish, Kentucky, Michigan State, Louisville, Minnesota, West Virginia, Purdue, Cincinnati and Vanderbilt among others.
Despite it being just his first year playing high school football, Campbell was absolutely dominant as a junior. In just eight games, he recorded 14.5 sacks for Western Hills. Campbell was selected as a First Team All-District selection.
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