BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell makes its road and nonconference debut this weekend, traveling to The Citadel for a 3:00 p.m. kickoff at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, S.C.

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Watch the Camels take on The Citadel on ESPN+, and listen online at GoCamels.com or through The Varsity Network app. Live stats are also available at GoCamels.com, and follow on Twitter @GoCamelsFB for live updates.

LAST TIME OUT
Bronson Yoder ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns, helping No. 4 William & Mary fend off Campbell 34-24 at Barker-Lane Stadium in the 2023 season opener for both teams.

The game marked Campbell's (0-1, 0-1 CAA) first contest as a CAA member, taking on the preseason conference favorite Tribe (1-0, 1-0 CAA), a team that won 11 games and advanced to the FCS quarterfinals in 2022.

Yoder scored both of his touchdowns on the night in the second quarter, averaging 6.2 yards on 20 carries. Darius Wilson added 57 yards rushing to go along with 182 yards and two touchdowns through the air, completing 17-of-27 pass attempts.

Malachi Imoh added 61 yards on four receptions, while Martin Lucas added 46 yards and a touchdown. Marcus Barnes tallied 11 tackles for the Tribe, with Nate Lynn posting 2.0 sacks.

The Tribe piled up 452 yards of total offense, including 270 on the ground on 5.9 yards per rush, compared to 310 total yards for the Camels, who averaged 5.6 yards per play of their own.

Campbell QB Hajj-Malik Williams completed 22-of-26 passes for 226 yards with a touchdown (.846), with Lamagea McDowell running for 54 yards and two touchdowns. Jalen Kelsey also grabbed six catches for 85 yards.

Chaney Fitzgerald tacked on seven catches for 53 yards, with VJ Wilkins adding four receptions for 44 yards and a TD.

CJ Tillman gathered a career-high 19 tackles, one off the Campbell single game record (Carlos Merritt, 20, vs. Jacksonville 2017), including 1.0 stop for loss. D'Marcus Harrington and Monchovia Gaffney added 10 tackles apiece with a pass breakup.

CAMELS BEGIN 16TH SEASON OF MODERN ERA
Heading into the 16th season of Campbell's modern era of football in 2023, the program continues its upward trajectory.

Just five Big South Conference seasons removed from the non-athletic scholarship Pioneer Football League (the football conference home for CU from 2008-17), the Fighting Camels are now a member of the CAA, the top conference in the FCS, home of some of the most history rich, consistent, national championship winning and storied programs in the subdivision.

In the offseason, the Camels hauled in the top recruiting class in the FCS for the second consecutive year.

The 2023 Camels return 11 total starters, including seven on the offensive side of the ball, three on defense and one on special teams, as well as 44 letterwinners (losing 53 last season), while bringing in a whopping 53 newcomers (25 freshmen, 28 transfers) in head coach Mike Minter's 11th season in Buies Creek.

LOOKING BACK AT 2022
Following the 2022 season, a school record 12 Camels were named to Big South all-conference teams, while eight earned Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Communicators, yet another program record.

First Team All-Big South performers Mike Edwards, an offensive tackle, and long snapper Jackson Hayes also earned All-America honors from multiple publications, and safety Myles Rowser was named a freshman All-American.

Campbell also set a school passing yards record (2,915) for the second straight season.

CAMPBELL JOINS THE COASTAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Campbell University officially became a member of the Coastal Athletic Association in all sports on July 1, 2023.

The addition of Campbell in 2023 increases the CAA's full membership to 14 schools, joining fellow new members North Carolina A&T, Hampton, Monmouth and Stony Brook as schools that have all joined in the last year. CAA Football now consists of 15 teams in 2023.

The conference encompasses many of the nation's largest metropolitan areas with a geographic footprint that stretches from Boston to Charleston. It has produced 18 national team champions in five different sports and 33 individual national champions.

Campbell joined NCAA Division I in 1977 and became a charter member when the Big South Conference was formed in 1983. Campbell joined the Atlantic Sun Conference in the summer of 1994 and competed in the ASUN 17 years before returning to the Big South in the summer of 2011.

After a five-decade absence, Campbell resumed football competition in 2008 as a member of the Pioneer Football League. Campbell moved up to competition in Big South football in 2018.

THE MATCHUP: THE CITADEL
The Bulldogs opened the 2023 season on the road at Georgia Southern, falling 34-0. Cooper Wallace rushed for 113 of the Bulldogs' 198 yards on the ground, while Hasan Black tallied nine tackles, defensively.

Campbell and The Citadel will be meeting for the second time, and for the second straight season. Last year, the Camels opened the season with a 29-10 win over the visiting Bulldogs.

The Camels are 2-0 all-time against SoCon opponents, including last year's win over the Bulldogs, and a 34-27 victory at Mercer in 2019.

HILL NAMED TO DOLPHINS 53-MAN ROSTER
Former Campbell tight end Julian Hill has made the initial 53-man roster for the Miami Dolphins.

Hill signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent after completing his collegiate career with the Camels in 2022. The Fayetteville, N.C. native is the first Camel to appear on an NFL 53-man roster.

One of the top FCS tight end targets in the country, Hill earned First Team All-Big South honors in 2022, collecting all-conference accolades for the third time in his career. Hill registered 659 yards receiving with five TD catches and 38 total receptions, leading all Big South tight ends in those categories. He posted 50 or more receiving yards six times on the season, including a career-high 122 yards on four catches with a touchdown at Bryant.

Hill added a rushing touchdown at North Carolina A&T, also helping lead the Camels to 500 or more yards of total offense four times, and 400 or more passing yards twice.

He played in 48 games from 2018-22 at Campbell, making 26 consecutive starts over his last three seasons, with 85 receptions for 1,218 yards and seven touchdowns.

Hill was one of a record three Camels to sign with NFL squads following the 2023 NFL Draft, along with defensive end Brevin Allen with the Los Angeles Chargers and safety Aaron Maddox with the Indianapolis Colts.

The trio became the first Camels to join NFL squads since running back De'Shawn Jones attended rookie minicamp with the Seattle Seahawks in 2018.

Other Camels to join the NFL ranks include defensive tackle Greg Milhouse, who played for the New York Giants in the 2016 NFL preseason, and then with Seattle in 2017, long snapper Daniel Dillon, who played in the 2016 NFL preseason for the Arizona Cardinals, and defensive end Ugonna Awuruonye who attended rookie minicamp with Atlanta in 2016.

EDWARDS, DOWDEN, TILLMAN EARN PRESEASON ALL-CAA HONORS
Three Camels were named to Preseason All-CAA teams, while Campbell was picked 12th in the league's Preseason Poll. Offensive tackle Mike Edwards was named Preseason All-CAA, while kicker Caleb Dowden and linebacker CJ Tillman collected honorable mention accolades.

Heading into its first season as a CAA member, Campbell was picked 12th in the preseason poll with 62 points, just behind UAlbany's 64. Preseason favorites William & Mary tallied 195 points, garnering 13 of a possible 15 first place votes. New Hampshire also earned a first place vote, coming in second with 179 points, while Richmond picked up 159.

Delaware recorded the final remaining first place nod with 149 total points, followed by Elon (146), Rhode Island (135), Villanova (129), Monmouth (94), Towson (85) and North Carolina A&T (70). Maine (40), Stony Brook (38) and Hampton (30) rounded out the poll.

Monmouth running back Jaden Shirden was named the CAA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while William & Mary linebacker John Pius was named CAA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

EDWARDS, GREENE NAMED TO REESE'S SENIOR BOWL WATCH LIST
Campbell's Mike Edwards and Isaiah Greene have been named to the 2024 Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List. The Senior Bowl identifies the "best of the best" draft prospects at every level of college football for the 2024 NFL Draft.

Edwards, making an appearance on the watch list for the second straight season after electing to return to CU, has also earned multiple preseason All-American nods. Edwards has been named Preseason First Team All-American by Phil Steele, while taking second team honors from Stats Perform and The Bluebloods.

A graduate student, Edwards is coming off an All-American campaign for the Camels, earning second team honors from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and third team accolades from Phil Steele in 2022.

A Hope Mills native, Edwards was also named First Team All-Big South following the 2022 season, anchoring the left side of an offensive line that helped CU set a single season passing yards record for the second straight year. Edwards started Campbell's first nine games before being lost due to injury, pushing the Camels to 500 or more yards or total offense four times.

Greene, meanwhile, heading into his first season at Campbell after transferring from Central Connecticut State, also appears on the watch list. A cornerback from Newark, N.J., Greene appeared in all 11 CCSU games in 2022, posting 47 tackles with 3.5 stops for loss, including 1.5 sacks, adding two interceptions, five breakups, a forced fumble and a blocked kick.

The 2024 Reese's Senior Bowl, played annually for the past 74 years in Mobile Ala., is set for February 3 at Hancock Whitney Stadium and broadcast on the NFL Network.

WILLIAMS NOMINATED FOR ALLSTATE AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM
Campbell's Hajj-Malik Williams is one of 136 nominees nationally for the 2023 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team.

Established in 1992, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team is one of the most coveted community service awards in college football. From the 136 nominees, the final roster of 23 award recipients will bring together 11 players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision; 11 players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA); and one honorary head coach. To be considered for a spot on the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, each player must be actively involved with a charitable organization or service group while maintaining strong academic standing.

Among the team and department-wide leaders in community services hours logged and events attended in 2022-23, Williams is heavily involved in the greater community, volunteering for events such as the Special Olympics, Polar Plunge, Night to Shine, as well as Read Across America at Buies Creek Elementary.

The Atlanta native also helped donate and promote Campbell Football's inaugural Food and Toy Drive, put on in conjunction with Harnett County Veteran Services, served at the Buies Creek Food Pantry, and is an active participant with the Lillington Boys and Girls Club. Williams is also working to create a Big Brothers Program with Campbell Football and the Dunn Boys and Girls Club/P.A.L.

On the field, Williams passed for a school record 2,221 yards last season as the only QB in the Big South Conference to rank in the league's top-three in passing and top-15 in rushing.

The former Freshman All-American was a two-time Big South Offensive Player of the Week, combining for 294 yards with a touchdown while completing 22-of-33 passes in a win over NC Central, and passing for three touchdowns and 249 yards on 26-of-35 passing (career-best 74.3 completion percentage) in the first half of a win over Robert Morris.

The final 22-member team and honorary coach are selected by a voting panel of former Allstate AFCA Good Works Team members, current and former head coaches and journalists. They look for exceptional leadership on and off the football field.

WEEDEN EARNS GRAPHITE AWARD AS TOP PLAY CALLER
Campbell offensive coordinator Anthony Weeden has earned the Graphite Award, recognizing the most efficient offensive play-caller in each Division I football conference for the 2022 season, announced by RII Sports Technology.

Each year RII Sports Technology analyzes play-by-play data for all Division I FBS and FCS football programs and assesses the degree to which offensive play callers made decisions that best aligned their team's strengths with their opponent's weaknesses. This assessment is quantified in a Play Calling Efficiency Ratio (PCER) – a measure of how frequently a play caller puts their team in advantageous strength-on-weakness positions while minimizing the number of times they operate from a disadvantage.

In his first season as offensive coordinator in 2022, Weeden guided the Camels to a school record for passing yards in a single year (2,915).

Under Weeden's supervision, offensive tackle Mike Edwards earned All-American honors, also becoming one of four Camels on the offensive side of the ball to earn All-Big South accolades, along with fellow first team member Julian Hill, and second team running back Bryant Barr and guard Isaiah Burch.

FIRST TIME OPPONENTS
Campbell will face off against four first time opponents, coming in consecutive weeks from October 21 to November 11. CU will take on Maine (October 21), followed by Richmond (October 28), North Carolina (November 4) and Delaware (November 11).

Since the 2018 campaign, which coincided with the program moving to the Big South, and now the CAA in 2023, CU has already faced 22 first time opponents, with that number set to grow to 26 by the end of the season. Campbell faced eight first time opponents during the 2022 season.

NEXT UP
The Camels return to CAA play next week, heading to Monmouth on September 16 in a matchup of former Big South rivals. Campbell returns home on September 23, hosting Elon in another CAA contest.