Jihaad Campbell: The Philly Rookie Whose Faith, Focus, and Fire Are Making Him 'Next Up'
When Jihaad Campbell walks into a room, there’s no mistaking his energy. Confident but humble, focused yet easygoing, the 21-year-old Eagles linebacker carries the poise of a veteran. But when he sat down with Jamila Mustafa for BET’s Next Up, he made it clear—his success isn’t by accident. It’s built on discipline, faith, and deep gratitude for the people who raised him.
“I pray in the morning. That’s the first thing.”
When Mustafa asked what a typical day looks like for him, Campbell smiled and broke it down like a playbook.
“My day’s structured,” he said. “I pray in the morning—that’s the first thing. Then I might eat breakfast at the facility or at the crib, depends on how I’m feeling when I wake up.”
From there, it’s all football. “Meetings start around 8:30. We go until about 2. Then we’ve got walkthroughs before practice, and our coaches don’t play about being early,” he laughed. “They don’t want us five minutes early—they want 20.”
After practice, it’s recovery time. “I hit the cold tub, hot tub, roll out, Normatec boots, and then I’m headed home. It’s about keeping my body right and staying consistent.”
“I learned it’s not about being perfect—it’s about striving to be.”
Off the field, Campbell has a maturity that’s rare for someone his age. Reflecting on his journey from Alabama to the NFL, he told Mustafa the hardest lessons weren’t about tackling—they were about patience and perspective.
“I think we all want to be so perfect,” he said. “But the biggest thing I learned is having the mindset of striving to be perfect. So when it’s time to take action, you’re already ready.”
He added, “I remind myself every day—this is a blessing. Only one percent of people ever make it to the NFL, and to be drafted in the first round, in my hometown? I can’t be anything but thankful.”
“My mom worked every day. My dad taught me how to move.”
Campbell’s humility comes from home. When Mustafa brought up the viral clip of him breaking down while listening to a message from his parents, the linebacker grew emotional.
“My mom, she worked her job day in and day out,” he said. “She never had that mindset of, ‘I can take a day off.’ She’s a hard worker—and that’s where my grind comes from.”
He also credited his father, who was recently released from incarceration before the NFL Draft. “My dad always told me, ‘How you do anything is how you do everything.’ My mom told me, ‘Don’t half-do nothing.’ And that’s how I live. If I’m going to do it, I’m going full out.”
“We always bled green.”
Campbell laughed when asked if he always dreamed of playing for the Eagles. “It was always Eagles in my household—except my uncle. He was a Cowboys fan,” he said with a grin. “But when I got drafted, he bought my jersey and came to practice wearing it. I said, ‘Okay, I like that energy!’”
When talk turned to his football idols, Campbell shouted out the greats: Brian Dawkins, Julio Jones, Larry Fitzgerald, and Calvin “Megatron” Johnson. “I used to play both sides of the ball—offense and defense,” he said. “They called me versatile back then. I was just trying to be special.”
“Always be yourself. Believe in the work.”
Before wrapping up, Mustafa asked what advice he’d give to the younger version of himself—the kid who didn’t always have money for camps but had a dream too big to quit.
“Always be yourself,” Campbell said without hesitation. “Never think you’re too big to ask questions. You’re gonna go through things, you’re gonna face adversity—but it’s about what you do next. Believe in yourself. Believe in the work. Trust the process. It’s all about the next play.”
From prayer at sunrise to film study at sundown, Jihaad Campbell’s life is a playbook on focus, faith, and resilience. As he told Mustafa, “I know I got God by my side. When I believe and trust in Him, everything’s gonna go right for me.”
And that belief? It’s exactly what makes him Next Up.
