George Campbell has been absolutely terrific on the field for West Virginia and even better as a leader in the locker room for the Mountaineers this season.
Campbell, who transferred to WVU from Florida State, has 19 receptions for 469 yards and a team-high 7 touchdowns for the Mountaineers this year. In his previous three seasons with the Florida State Seminoles, Campbell had a total of 13 receptions, 206 yards and 0 touchdowns.
Campbell, a 5 star recruit out of high school and one of the very best recruits in the nation in the 2015 class, has been riddled with injuries throughout his collegiate career and has had a long road to recovery following multiple injuries.
In 2015, he played in 11 games as a Freshman, mostly on special teams. He recorded 3 receptions for 42 yards in 2015, all of which came against Texas State. In 2016, he was redshirted following hip surgery that ended his season. A season-ending injury limited him to four games in 2017. Last season, as a Redshirt Junior for the Seminoles, he was still struggling to return from injury and played in 7 total games with just 1 start.
His Senior season with the Mountaineers has been his only truly healthy season as a college football player. Players can be awarded a 6th year of eligibility and it appears that George Campbell is a perfect example of someone who should be given a “medical redshirt.”
A medial redshirt can be obtained by applying for one through the NCAA following any season when they meet the following requirements:
The player must have suffered an injury during one of their four eligible seasons for college competition.
The injury suffered must be “incapacitating”, which means it must be an injury that is season-ending.
The injury must have occurred during the first half of the season.
The player must have competed in less than 30% of the season or four games.
According to an SBNation article on the topic, “a player who has already had a redshirt season and then qualifies for a medical redshirt in a subsequent season can be approved for a sixth year of eligibility. However, those cases are tougher to win, as the player is supposed to have missed two seasons for circumstances beyond their control.”
George Campbell qualifies and there is little doubt that he would win an appeal for a 6th year of eligibility if he has in fact already applied for a medical redshirt. Campbell’s college career has been marred with injuries and he deserves an opportunity to play another season with the Mountaineers.
Campbell has become Jarret Doege’s favorite target in his two starts at West Virginia and this connection would be one of the best in the Big 12 next season if Campbell is awarded a 6th year of eligibility.
A beautiful pass off @DoegeJarret’s back foot to @GeorgeCampbell0 for the #WVU touchdown! pic.twitter.com/ymPcx2iuhj
— The Voice of West Virginia (@VoiceofWV) November 23, 2019
