The No. 3 player on this list may very well be the most dynamic player in the Big Ten. He can take short passes a long distance, and if he puts it all together this season as he has worked to do, he will also take long passes a long distance.
No. 3 — Parris Campbell, rSr. H-Back
Parris Campbell came to Ohio State as a running back who was always going to be moved to receiver. He redshirted in 2014 to begin the transformation process and emerged in 2015 as an early starter.
His contributions early on were mostly in the blocking realm, and a drop on a sure touchdown early in the season opener against Virginia Tech in 2015 would follow him around for the better part of his career.
As an outside receiver in 2016, Campbell finished seventh on the team with 13 receptions, but those catches went for just 121 yards. He did carry the ball four times for 54 yards and a touchdown, however.
After the 2016 season, Campbell moved from outside receiver to H-back, which fit his skill set a bit better as a former running back.
Campbell responded with 40 receptions for a team-high 584 yards last season, scoring three times through the air and once on the ground. As a runner, he carried the ball 10 times for 132 yards.
Statistical History
What He Does Well
Nobody on the roster can split defenders like Parris Campbell, and nobody in the Big Ten had more than Campbell’s three receptions of at least 50 yards.
Campbell is dynamic with the football in his hands, but to this point there have been diminishing returns on production where Campbell’s distance from the quarterback is concerned. The further away he gets, the less likely there was to be a connection.
He excels in short areas and then has the strength to break a tackle, and if he gets a block from a receiver out wide, the defense better have an angle on him or else he is gone.
Four of Campbell’s 10 carries last season went for over 20 yards.
Parris Campbell in 2018
Basically, Parris Campbell cannot touch the ball enough for the Buckeyes this season.
With his ability to score from anywhere on the field, Campbell has an absolute argument to be the No. 2 playmaker on this list.
Interestingly, he has heard the criticism about his game — particularly the struggles he has had in the deep passing game. He set out after last season to remedy those issues and if that happens this year, then Campbell could put up Curtis Samuel-type of receiving numbers from 2016.
If you’ll recall, that was the year when Samuel caught 74 passes for 865 yards and seven touchdowns. Don’t expect Campbell to approach the 74 receptions, but if he adds three or four long balls to his production from last season, he could be looking at 800 yards receiving this year.
There are a ton of possibilities for what Campbell could do this year, and his coaches will tell you that he could also be used to run the ball between the tackles. Unfortunately, he likely won’t be involved in the kick return game due to concussion issues last year, so that will take away some of his impact.
There will still be plenty of opportunities for him to make a good number of big plays this season.
Expect something special. Everyone else is.
What They Are Saying
“If you’re at Ohio State, you want to be known as one of the best. You want to be known as one of the guys. So it was something that I always thought about. Getting the awards, getting the accolades, and getting the attention.” — Parris Campbell
“Just from coming where I came from playing running back, I didn’t know how to run a route when I first came here. So I think I’m just becoming a more polished receiver, being able to run routes. Been working on obviously deep ball catching. I think a lot of that will be showcased this season. I can’t wait because I’m tired of all of the negativity around that, but it’s all good.” — Parris Campbell
“He’s just everything you want. He can run. He’s an unbelievable athlete. His ball skills have gone from A to Z. Improved dramatically. Just everything. Owning the position, understanding the position. Understanding the offense. Being a guy that can be multiple and do different things. He’s done everything. This has got to be year. He’s committed to it and he’s done it since the year started. So we’ve just got to see it come to fruition.” — Former receivers coach Zach Smith on Parris Campbell