BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell will kick off the 2024 season, its first under head coach Braxton Harris, on Saturday, August 31, at Liberty. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Va.

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CAMPBELL BEGINS HARRIS ERA
Braxton Harris became the third head coach in Campbell's modern football history (since 2008) when he was announced in January 2024. Harris, who previously spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons on staff at Campbell, returned to Buies Creek after spending 2023 as head coach at FCS Southland Conference member Houston Christian.

At HCU, Harris coached the Huskies to their first winning season in program history in 2023, going 6-5 overall after inheriting a program that had won more than two games once in the previous six years. HCU also fashioned its first winning record in conference play, going 4-3 in the SLC and finishing fourth in the league after being picked last in the preseason poll.

Additionally, linebacker Jalyx Hunt posted an All-America campaign (AFCA, Stats, Perform, Phil Steele), also earning SLC Defensive Player of the Year honors, headlining a group of five Huskies named to All-SLC teams. Hunt was later drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles.

In his first stop at CU, Harris served as associate head coach and linebackers coach in addition to recruiting coordinator duties under Mike Minter, who resigned in December 2023 after 11 seasons.

Under Harris' guidance, the Camels hauled in the top signing classes in the FCS in back-to-back seasons, a feat he matched in his first year at HCU, making him responsible for the subdivision's top recruiting class for three consecutive years. In fact, in December 2021, Harris and the Camels signed three of the FCS' top-10 recruits.

In his first season at Campbell in 2021, Harris helped the Camels rank fourth in the FCS in takeaways (25) and defensive touchdowns (4). Linebacker CJ Tillman earned Freshman All-America honors and was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the top freshman in the FCS.

Campbell also placed a program-record 12 student-athletes on All-Big South teams in 2022, including Tillman, while safety Myles Rowser was named to The Bluebloods Freshman All-America Team.

Prior to Campbell, Harris was the head coach at Howard Payne in Brownwood, Texas, from 2017-19. He led the Yellow Jackets to a 5-5 record in his final season, posting the program's most overall wins and conference wins (4) since 2006.

The Camels finished their inaugural CAA season at 5-6 overall and 4-4 in league play, becoming the first new CAA member to win four or more games in its inaugural season since Old Dominion in 2011 (nine teams).

Campbell now returns 45 total letterwinners and six starters (one offense, five defense), while welcoming 40 newcomers, including 23 total transfers and 17 freshmen.
 
THE MATCHUP: LIBERTY
Liberty is coming off its best season in program history, going 13-1 with a trip to the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, its first New Year's Six appearance. The Flames swept the CUSA regular season and championship game titles, and enters the 2024 season as the CUSA preseason favorite, while receiving votes in both national Top-25 polls.

The programs are both former Big South Conference football members, with the Flames taking eight conference championships from 2002-17, while Campbell was a member from 2018-22 before moving to the CAA.
The schools have faced off just once in football, with Liberty dealing Campbell a 48-7 defeat to open the 2021 season.

Saturday will mark the third different school the Camels have faced a Jamey Chadwell coached team (Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina).
 
THREE CAMELS EARN PRESEASON ALL-CAA HONORS
Three Camels were selected to 2024 CAA Football Preseason All-Conference teams, while Campbell was picked 11th in the league's coaches' poll. CJ Tillman, a senior linebacker, was named Preseason All-CAA, while VJ Wilkins, a sophomore wide receiver and return specialist, and Bobby Cleary, a senior long snapper, took honorable mention accolades.

Villanova, which earned a share of the 2023 CAA Championship and reached the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs last season, was voted as the 2024 preseason favorite by the league's head coaches, receiving nine of the available 16 first place votes. Villanova quarterback Connor Watkins was also voted the CAA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Elon safety Caleb Curtain was selected as the CAA Preseason defensive Player of the Year.

Tillman was named Third Team All-CAA in 2023, finishing fourth in the conference with 98 total tackles, and earning all-conference honors for the second straight season (Second Team All-Big South in 2022).

A 2023 Freshman All-American (Stats Perform, FCS Football Central), Wilkins was also a finalist for the Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award in addition to earning honorable mention All-CAA recognition, finishing his rookie campaign with 52 catches for 546 yards and four touchdowns, tacking on four rushes for 22 yards with 616 kick return yards, ranking ninth in the FCS, and a 21.2 yards per return average.

In his first season as a Camel, Cleary earned an honorable mention All-CAA nod, handling nearly every short and long snap without an off-target snap, playing in all 11 games.
 
CLEARY NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA
Campbell long snapper Bobby Cleary has been named preseason All-America by both Stats Perform FCS (third team) and Phil Steele (fourth team).

In his first season as a Camel in 2023, Cleary was named honorable mention All-CAA, handling nearly every short and long snap without an off-target snap, playing in all 11 games. The junior from Slinger, Wisc. was credited with three tackles on the year, while downing multiple punts, and did not allow a blocked punt.

Additionally, Phil Steele named Cleary to his preseason CAA all-conference list as a second team member, joining CJ Tillman (first team linebacker), Isaiah Greene (third team defensive back) and VJ Wilkins (fourth team kick returner).
 
GREENE EARNS PRESEASON SENIOR BOWL RECOGNITION
Campbell cornerback Isaiah Greene has been named to the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 and the Reese's Senior Bowl watch lists.

The 100th annual East-West Shrine Bowl will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on January 30, 2025, while the Reese's Senior Bowl will be held on February 1, 2025 at the University of South Alabama's Hancock Whitney Stadium.

Greene enters his second season at Campbell after transferring from Central Connecticut State. The graduate student played in 10 games for the Camels in 2023, starting the first seven contests at corner before his time was limited due to injury.

A Newark, N.J. native, Greene made 19 tackles last season, adding four pass breakups.
 
FOUR FORMER CAMELS IN NFL TRAINING CAMPS
Campbell has placed four former Camels in 2024 NFL training camps, an all-time high for the program.

Offensive tackles Mike Edwards (Buffalo Bills) and Tyler McLellan (Los Angeles Chargers) both agreed to terms with NFL teams following the 2024 Draft, while tight end Julian Hill (Miami Dolphins) and Brevin Allen (Green Bay Packers) enter their second professional seasons.

Hill and Allen made history for the Camels in 2023, with Hill becoming the first former Campbell football player to make a 53-man NFL roster, while Allen became the first former CU standout to play in an NFL game while suiting up for the Chargers.

Other Camels to join the NFL ranks include running back De'Shawn Jones (Seattle Seahawks, 2018 rookie minicamp), defensive tackle Greg Milhouse (New York Giants, 2016 NFL Preseason; Seattle Seahawks, 2017 NFL Preseason), long snapper Daniel Dillon (Arizona Cardinals, 2016 NFL Preseason), defensive end Ugonna Awuruonye (Atlanta Falcons, 2016 rookie minicamp) and safety Aaron Maddox (Indianapolis Colts, 2023 NFL Preseason).
 
CAMELS AGAINST THE FBS
The Camels are now 0-11 all-time against FBS opponents, following their 59-7 loss at North Carolina last season. The trip to Chapel Hill marked the program's sixth game against an in-state FBS foe (in addition to at Appalachian State 2014 and 2020, at Wake Forest 2020, at ECU 2022).

Prior to the 2020 season, Campbell had played against just four FBS opponents in its modern history, traveling to Troy in 2019 and hosting Coastal Carolina in 2018, while facing off with Old Dominion in 2013 and Appalachian State in 2014.

Although CU has never beaten an FBS opponent (0-11), the Camels nearly took down Georgia Southern in their 2020 opener in Statesboro, Ga., falling just a point short, 27-26.

Georgia Southern was Campbell's fifth game overall against an FBS squad, and third with full FBS status. When Campbell previously played at ODU and at App State, both were in the final year of the transitional phase from the FCS level. ODU played an FBS independent schedule in 2013, squaring off against five FBS members, while the Mountaineers played a full Sun Belt slate in 2014, going 6-2 in league play while winning its final six games of the year.

The Camels also played Charlotte in 2013 and 2014 when the 49ers were in the beginning stages of their transition to FBS, playing an independent FCS schedule. Campbell's 2020 finale at Wake Forest marked the program's first ever against a Power Five opponent in football.

CU is visiting Liberty for the second time after opening the 2021 season in Lynchburg.

In its 11 games against FBS foes, Campbell held the lead in five different outings for a total of 86:57, including 44:13 in its 2020 opener at Georgia Southern, and for 14:37 at App State. CU also led Coastal for 19:07 of the first half in 2018, and made the initial score against ODU in 2013, leading for 2:39 of the first quarter.
 
FIRST TIME OPPONENTS
Campbell will face off against four first time opponents in 2024, including Western Carolina (September 7), Rhode Island (September 14), Stony Brook (September 21) and Towson (November 23).

Since the 2018 campaign, which coincided with the program moving to the Big South, and then the CAA in 2023, CU has already faced 26 first time opponents, with that number set to grow to 30 by the end of the season. Campbell faced a whopping eight first time opponents during the 2022 season.
 
NEXT UP
The Camels will head to No. 20 Western Carolina on September 7 before opening CAA play at Rhode Island on September 14. Campbell makes its home debut on September 21, hosting Stony Brook in the first of six dates at Barker-Lane Stadium.

Season, single game and mini-plan ticket options for the 2024 football season are available at GoCamels.com/Tickets and by phone through the CU Athletics Ticket Office, at 1-877-GO-HUMPS.