Campbell's switch to boost Pitt pass rush

Pitt's potential for a truly defense in 2020 starts up front with their talented edge rushers Patrick Jones II and Rashad Weaver, but it has to be followed up by consistent linebacker play behind them.

That's where Phil Campbell III comes in, along with Cam Bright and Chase Pine.

But last week at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Campbell confirmed a switch in linebacker spots. Last year Campbell played the Star linebacker spot with Bright at Money and Pine at Mike. This year, Campbell and Pat Narduzzi confirmed Campbell and Bright will switch spots, keeping Pine at Mike linebacker.

For those unfamiliar with a typical 4-3 defense, the Star linebacker is like the traditional Sam linebacker, who lines up on the strong side of the defense and helps covering tight ends and primary receivers more often. The Money linebacker is like the traditional Will linebacker, who lines up on the weak side of the offense, is the first to take on the run and pass rush. The Mike linebacker is the Jack Lambert style linebacker who flows gap to gap, calls out the defense and makes switches.

The switch will allow Campbell to do what he does best, and that's getting physical in the box and playing downhill. His 56 tackles were fifth most on Pitt's defense in 2019, but his 5.5 sacks were also fourth most on the roster. And that was with him primarily being the Star linebacker in their system.

Now, you'll get more opportunities for Campbell to make big plays playing downhill like this huge sack that helped close out Eastern Michigan late in the fourth quarter in Pitt's 34-30 win in the Quick Lane Bowl. You can see his quick burst through B-gap and how he quickly destroys the attempted block from the running back all before he finishes the play: