Previewing Top MSU Football Incoming Freshmen: Collin Campbell
· Yahoo Sports
The Only Colors recently completed a series of articles analyzing the four-member recruiting class that Tom Izzo is bringing to the Breslin in 2026-27. We now shift our attention down Shaw Lane to Spartan Stadium. New Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald will have a 21-player haul for his first recruiting class, many of whom were recruited by the previous coaching staff. For our next series of articles, we are going to be highlighting a select few members of this class, specifically ones who we believe could have a chance to see the field in 2026.
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We begin this series with Collin Campbell. Campbell is an offensive tackle from Gilbert, Arizona, just southeast of Phoenix. Different websites list him differently; I have seen him at either 6’6” or 6’7” and anywhere from 265 to 290 pounds. Naturally, the various sources have varying rankings on Campbell. ESPN has him as a 3-star with a 79-grade and as OT57 in the class. On3 gives him a 4-star, 91.47 grade and has him as OT21. And 247Sports also gives him that 4th star with a grade of 90 and names him OT35. In high school, he played on the left side.
Here is what one recruiting analyst had to say about C.C.:
Among the top offensive line prospects out West. A true tackle prospect, something lacking the last few years in the region, and has a lot of physical tools that you look for in a young lineman. Looks all of 6-6, 270 pounds with plenty of length. A plus athlete who can really get off the ball and has the kind of nastiness you have to have to excel in the trenches. A finisher who loves to bury his man into the ground and has the athleticism to get out on sweeps and pulls. No issues getting to the second level as a run blocker and shows the athleticism and lateral mobility to slide and mirror as a pass protector. Far from a finished product and still raw in some areas, but that’s a good thing. As technique and flexibility continue to improve, his game will take another jump. A player we definitely feel is trending in the right direction.
Another thing worth noting about Campbell that makes us like him even more is that his father played quarterback collegiately and then was the coach at Collin’s high school. From this, we know he grew up having the game explained to him by someone who played the most important position. As an offensive tackle, there are no stats readily available, so we don’t have any numbers to look at. What we do know is that MSU has struggled greatly on the offensive line for the last few years. The last time MSU had an OT recruit ranked as high as Campbell was in the 2023 cycle when we brought in Stanton Ramil.
Obviously, nowadays, we just try to rely on getting college guys from the lower ranks to fill our starting lineup rather than developing guys right out of high school. So it should come as no surprise that the two names being pegged to start at OT for MSU in the fall have combined to play 1 season as a Spartan. Conner Moore started every game last year after coming from Montana State, nine on the right and three on the left. Ben Murawski just came from UConn and should take the starting LT role.
After those two names, though, Collin Campbell does have a chance at the two-deep if he can have a strong preseason. Even if he doesn’t earn a second-string spot, he is at worst third, and then just an injury away. The biggest competitors getting in the freshman’s way in the OT depth chart are Robert Wright, who just transferred from Georgia Southern, and Rustin Young, who did earn some starts for MSU last year as a redshirt freshman though those were as a result of the injury bug decimating that unit. Young’s play in his end-of-year starts, while not the worst on the unit, did not inspire overwhelming confidence.
Considering that Campbell was a higher-ranked recruit than either Young or Wright and that neither of those two experienced players have made the strongest impressions, I would say there is a path for the incoming freshman to earn his way up in the rotation. Even if we don’t see him this year, and assuming he doesn’t transfer next year (maybe assuming is a strong word), this should be a player who becomes a reliable starter in future years.