By Manning Snyder
SouthernPigskin.com

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In order to become the punter he is today, Matt Campbell said that he had to become a xe2x80x9cstudent of the game.xe2x80x9d

nDepending on who you talk to, Matt Campbell is not Matt Campbell. To some teammates and coaches, he is xe2x80x98Matty Ice.xe2x80x99 To a few classmates, he is xe2x80x98Matt the Engineer.xe2x80x99 But those really close to Campbell know him by one name: xe2x80x98Matty Ice…Cream.xe2x80x99

nThe 6xe2x80x991xe2x80x9d, 227-pound junior Citadel punter is not overweight. Cheez-Its, not ice cream, are his favorite snack. But the nickname serves as a repartee to his appearance and velvety personality.

nxe2x80x9cIxe2x80x99m a big punter, I get it. They like to call me fat,xe2x80x9d Campbell said with a shrug, admitting that the insult doesnxe2x80x99t offend him. xe2x80x9cI think it [the nickname] is hilarious.xe2x80x9d

nWhatever you want to call him, Matty Ice Cream is one of the most dominant punters in the Southern Conference and the FCS. Through four games, he has punted 23 times with an average of 40.5 yards. Eight of those punts were downed inside of the 20-yard line. Before the 2020 season, he was named First-Team All-Southern Conference and HERO Sports Preseason Third-Team All-American. After his freshman season, he was named the 2018 FCS Phil Steele Magazine Freshman Special Teams Player of the Year.

n”He commands respect for what he does on the football field,xe2x80x9d Mike Capaccio, Citadel athletic director, said. xe2x80x9cHe has the ability to pin people back and is very accurate with his punts.xe2x80x9d

nIn addition to punting this season, Campbell also handled kickoffs and was a holder for the Bulldog squad, a testament to his versatility.

nxe2x80x9cFor him to step into two new roles [kickoffs and holding] and to continue to do well punting, it just speaks to his mental toughness,xe2x80x9d Turner West, Campbellxe2x80x99s special teams coach at The Citadel, said. xe2x80x9cHe stepped up this year.xe2x80x9d

nIn Citadelxe2x80x99s most recent game against Army-West Point, Campbellxe2x80x99s adaptability was on full display. On the opening kickoff, Campbell executed an onside kick, gently lifting the ball twelve yards into the air and into the waiting arms of a Citadel player. The kick was so accurate, an Army player wasnxe2x80x99t able to touch it.

nAlthough an onside kick to start a game could go terribly wrong if executed incorrectly, the confidence the Citadel coaching staff had instilled in Matt trumped all worries of a mishap.

nxe2x80x9cCoach West told me that Matt can handle it,xe2x80x9d Citadel head football coach Brent Thompson, referencing the responsibility of Campbell attempting the trick play, said. xe2x80x9cAnd he executed it perfectly.xe2x80x9d

nCampbell also added two punts, both inside-the-20 and one for 54 yards, in the contest. But it hasnxe2x80x99t always been success and accolades for Campbell on the football field. On September 12th, around 8:30pm in Tampa, his life, arguably, changed forever.

nThe Citadel was playing South Florida in their first game of the season. It was fourth down. Campbell was called to punt deep in Citadel territory in the windy, rainy conditions. He botched the snap, bobbled the ball momentarily, and then kicked the ball…five yards forward and into the arms of a South Florida defender standing in their end-zone. Touchdown Bulls.

nxe2x80x9cAfter it happened, I made so many jokes on the sideline,xe2x80x9d Campbell said. xe2x80x9cI told my teammates, xe2x80x9cWatch this show up on ESPNxe2x80x99s Not Top Ten.xe2x80x9d

nIt did. And not just on ESPN. From one muffed punt, Campbell went from being an inconspicuous college punter to a victim of internet trolling everywhere. xe2x80x9cCitadel punter failxe2x80x9d was trending on Twitter.

nxe2x80x9cIt was the most xe2x80x982020xe2x80x99 punt there has ever been,xe2x80x9d Coach West said with a chuckle.

nCampbell agreed.

nxe2x80x9cThat [the muffed punt] happened at the worst possible time. We are in the middle of a pandemic, people are cooped up at home,xe2x80x9d Campbell said, admitting that he deleted social media after the incident. xe2x80x9cWhat else do they have to do but to bash other people?xe2x80x9d

nAccording to Citadel coaches and teammates, Campbellxe2x80x99s performance after the blunder exemplifies his mental toughness. Despite the folly, Campbell launched five punts for an average of 40 yards throughout the remainder of the game.

nFor Campbell, the fact that he now plays college football at the Division I level is a combination of hard work and luck. As a child, Campbell developed a strong leg playing soccer at six years old. But it wasnxe2x80x99t until his freshman year, at a soccer tournament, that the possibility of punting was introduced to him.

nxe2x80x9cI was a goalkeeper on the soccer team, and the head football coach on the ninth grade football team was there looking for a kicker,xe2x80x9d Campbell said. xe2x80x9cAfter seeing me kick and punt the ball, he called me a week later asked if I wanted to try out for football.xe2x80x9d

nSpoiler alert: he made the team. And his career as a punter began.

nFrom his freshman to junior years at Mill Creek High School in Hoschton, Georgia, Campbell only punted. It wasnxe2x80x99t until senior year that he was used on kickoffs, punts, and field goals.

nxe2x80x9cThe kid goes out and hit two 50-yard field goals and missed only one his whole senior season,xe2x80x9d Greg Davis, Citadel alumni and Campbellxe2x80x99s kicking coach in high school, said. xe2x80x9cHe had a great year punting, too.xe2x80x9d

nIn order to become the punter he is today, Campbell said that he had to become a xe2x80x9cstudent of the game.xe2x80x9d And with hard work came high expectations, specifically to improve his craft each year.

nAs a high school senior, Campbell won multiple awards, including xe2x80x9cHonorable Mention Punterxe2x80x9d in the state of Georgia.

nxe2x80x9cAs a senior, he was automatic at placing opponents inside of their own 20-yard line,xe2x80x9d Coach Jed Hodges, Campbellxe2x80x99s high school special teams coach, said. xe2x80x9cI didnxe2x80x99t have to teach him much.xe2x80x9d

nAfter a dominant senior season, Campbell received a scholarship offer from The Citadel. Army-West Point was his only other football offer. Besides the requirement of service for West Pointgraduates, another deterrent of the military academy was the weather–the frosty New York winters versus the yearlong, amiable Charleston climate.

nxe2x80x9cI hate the cold,xe2x80x9d Campbell said with a smirk. xe2x80x9cIxe2x80x99d rather be in warm weather and close to the beach.xe2x80x9d

nAlong with his distaste of cold weather, Campbell is vocal about his other preferences, from his favorite peanut butter cracker brand (Lance) to his NFL affiliation (the Falcons). Campbellxe2x80x99s favorite music genres are country and heavy metal–he mentioned he knows how polar opposite these are–but said his personality aligns more with heavy metal. Perhaps the earsplitting, discordant heavy metal vibe aligns perfectly with a punter bashing footballs into the air.

nBut his avidity for heavy metal has provided more lessons for life than listening pleasure.

nxe2x80x9cMy brother told me about a quote from one of my favorite bands, xe2x80x98A Day to Remember.xe2x80x99 It goes: xe2x80x98Keep your hopes up high and your head down low,xe2x80x9d Campbell said. xe2x80x9cThat’s my motto and what I do every day.”

nWhile Campbellxe2x80x99s head might be low, his actions on the field certainly have caught the attention of Citadel teammates and fans. And Campbell also dominates an area of football not typically associated with punters: the weightroom.

nxe2x80x9cOne day Ixe2x80x99m in the weightroom, doing my reps and I look across the room and our punter is bench pressing about 100 more pounds than me,xe2x80x9d Javonte Middleton, 180-pound junior Citadel cornerback and Campbellxe2x80x99s teammate, said. xe2x80x9cIt [his size] is just an advantage for him.xe2x80x9d

nCampbellxe2x80x99s eagerness to shine in the weight room is not only seen by teammates, but also present when no one is watching.

nxe2x80x9dThe team was on an off-week,xe2x80x9d Donnell Boucher, Citadel strength coach, said. xe2x80x9cThe first person to contact me to ask about the weight room was Matt, first thing Monday morning.xe2x80x9d

nWhile Campbell tends to thrive in most areas involving the game of football, his favorite thing to do is to bring his teammates together off the field. His favorite way to do that? Fishing.

nxe2x80x9cI went fishing with him alot over the summer,xe2x80x9d Middleton added. xe2x80x9cHe is just as good at fishing as he is at punting a football.xe2x80x9d

nAlthough Middleton marveled at Campbellxe2x80x99s ability to be a fisherman extraordinaire, it wasnxe2x80x99t only players that noticed Campbellxe2x80x99s affection for angling.

nxe2x80x9cEvery time I talked to him during the pandemic, he was either fishing or on his way to fishing,xe2x80x9dCoach Thompson said, referencing the daily check-inxe2x80x99s he had with his players in the spring. xe2x80x9cI was wishing he was out on the football field practicing punts, but nope, he was out there trying to catch some fish.xe2x80x9d

nMany of Campbellxe2x80x99s coaches and teammates think the NFL is a potential destination for Campbell should he continue to improve. All of them agree that Campbell will succeed in whatever field he chooses–engineering, football, or…fishing.

nWhen Campbell was asked directly about future plans, he was happy to waft through his many interests and passions. But when asked about the prospect of another designed play–either a fake punt or onside kick–Campbellxe2x80x99s expression abruptly changed.

nHe stretched his legs out, crossed his arms, and sheepishly grinned. His eye contact averted and he lowered his head down slowly, in typical Campbell fashion.

nxe2x80x9cThatxe2x80x99s classified.xe2x80x9d