Michigan Had A Shot At Camp

ORLANDO, Fla. – Although he committed to USC in June, Lakeland (Fla.) Lake Gibson three-star defensive tackle Keyshon Camp didn’t consider that the end of his recruitment. Thanks to the urging of a former teammate at Lake Gibson, Michigan freshman Rueben Jones, he made his way to U-M for an official visit in September.

He saw the Maize and Blue take down UNLV 28-7, and had such a good time with Jones that he wanted to make a return visit.

“I wanted to go up there and check it out, especially because my homeboy [Rueben Jones] plays up there. After that first visit, I thought, ‘man, I might need to check that out again.’ So I wanted to go up there for a bigger game.”

The 6-3, 274-pound Camp decided to make his return for the Wolverines’ biggest game of the year, against Ohio State. Unfortunately, that turned ugly for the home side, and the Buckeyes prevailed 42-13.

Had U-M won the game – or even kept it competitive – the No. 37 defensive tackle nationally and No. 56 senior in Florida may have found himself embarking on a college career as a Wolverine, rather than as a Trojan.

“When I went to their game against Ohio State, it was a big one, but it didn’t turn out to be much of a game,” he said. “I thought the team kind of gave up late in that one, and that’s not the sort of thing I wanted to surround myself with.

“There was a real chance after that first visit, but the Ohio State one kind of ended it. From there, it was all USC.”

Despite his decision not to follow Jones to Michigan, his former teammate is having a good time in his college career. That even includes a position change for the Rivals three-star, who redshirted while playing the Buck linebacker position this fall.

“Rueben had a real good time up there,” Cam said of Jones’s freshman year. “He’s moving to [middle] linebacker, so it will be cool to see him in a new place. I want to see how he’ll do.”

The Wolverines’ success in Florida has taken a big step forward since Jim Harbaugh and his assistants arrived in town. Jones and fellow defensive end Shelton Johnson were in the 2015 class, while U-M has five commitments from the Sunshine State in 2016.

Even though Camp won’t be joining that movement, he sees that it’s going to be a major option for Florida players going forward.