MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Former WVU football player and Morgantown native Shea Campbell is headed south to finish his college football career, committing to the University of West Florida on Tuesday.
West Florida, the defending national champions at the Division II level, has only existed four seasons, but has already made a major impact. The Argos defeated Minnesota State 48-40 in December for the national title. The school is located in Pensacola, Fla.
“Their recent success was definitely noticeable, but I really connected with their staff and they were very interested in me,” Campbell said. “I think that they can provide a great year for me and I can help them out this next year, too. It also seemed like the best fit for me and I’m really excited about what’s to come. I’m ready to help bring another championship to the bay.”
Campbell, a 2015 Morgantown High grad, finished five seasons with the Mountaineers from 2015-19 as a safety turned linebacker. The former walk-on earned a scholarship and was a major contributor on defense and special teams the last two seasons — 21 career games, finishing with 70 tackles, 8 1/2 tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception — to finish what he thought was the end of this college football career, but an obscure rule allowed him to play one more year if he decided.
Since Campbell graduated in December, he was not enrolled in the spring semester at WVU, so he finished with nine semesters throughout his college career. At the Division I level, the rule with eligibility is based on years, so Campbell exhausted all five years — including his redshirt season in 2015 — at West Virginia.
However, at lower levels including Division II and Division III, the rule of eligibility is based off semesters, which is exhausted at 10. Since Campbell was not in school during the spring semester, he still had a semester left based on the NCAA eligibility requirements of Division II and III.
With an extra semester, Campbell will continue to earn a degree in sports management in hopes to get into coaching.
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