Cam Camper

Cam Camper
Boise State Broncos – No. 9
PositionWide receiver
ClassGraduate student
MajorLiberal Studies
Personal information
Born: (2001-08-21) August 21, 2001 (age 23)
Willingboro, New Jersey, U.S.
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight205[1] lb (93 kg)
Career history
College
High schoolLancaster (Lancaster, Texas)

Cameron Camper, also known as 'Curley' (born August 21, 2001) is an American football wide receiver for the Boise State Broncos. He first played two seasons for Trinity Valley Community College, where he caught 50 receptions for four touchdowns and 858 yards, also named JUCO Pre-Season All-American. Camper then committed to Indiana in December 2021 and led Indiana's receivers in terms of receptions and yardage in 2022, before sustaining an injury, named 2022 IU Offensive Player of the Year. He then recovered to play in 2023, scoring one touchdown and catching 17 receptions for 285 yards, before committing to Boise State in January 2024.[2]

Early life and high school

Camper was born in Willingboro, New Jersey.[3] His mother, Reeshia Newman, served in the United States Army as a MEDIC and lab technician until Camper was two years old.[4][5] Camper graduated from Lancaster High School with a 3.5 GPA,[4][6] before attending Sam Houston State University, playing for the football team as a walk-on, describing it as a "special teams dummy".[7]

College career

Camper first played for Trinity Valley Community College as a wide receiver.[8] During his tenure there, Camper, along with 21 others from Trinity Valley, were selected for the Southwest Junior College Football Conference football team in 2021.[8] He caught 50 receptions for four touchdowns and 858 yards through two seasons, but did not play fully for both seasons after sustaining injuries.[4]

After spending two seasons at Trinity Valley Community College, and completing an Associate's Degree, Camper received offers from Missouri State, Alabama State, and New Mexico in 2021, eventually committing to the latter university.[4][9] After committing to New Mexico on July 7, Camper also received offers from UCF, Eastern Kentucky, Hawaii, Indiana, Texas State, Liberty, and Toledo.[6][9] He then visited Indiana on December 3, before decommitting from New Mexico on December 7 and committing to Indiana a week later.[6][9] Camper made his debut against Illinois on September 2, 2022, receiving 11 receptions for 156 yards.[10][11] He sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury during a game against Rutgers on October 22, 2022, rendering him out for the rest of the 2022 Indiana Hoosiers season.[12][13] Before the injury, however, he led Indiana receivers in terms of receptions and yardage, with 46 receptions and 569 yards. Camper was names as IU Offensive Player of the Year in 2022. [14] As a result, he was put on the watchlist of the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.[15]

In 2023, Camper started for Indiana for a Week 1 game against Ohio State after recovering from his injury.[2] However, he sustained an injury to his right knee against Indiana State the following week on September 8.[16][17] Despite this, he practiced the week after his injury,[18] and started in a game against Louisville on September 16 that resulted in a 21–14 loss.[2][19] In a 29–27 win against Akron in four overtimes, Camper scored a touchdown and had 103 receiving yards after catching four passes.[20] Camper also caught three receptions for 29 yards in a 52–7 loss to Michigan.[2] In November, Camper underwent a knee surgery that was related to his previous ACL injury, causing him to miss the rest of the 2023 season.[21][22]

On December 7, 2023, Camper entered the transfer portal, completed his Bachelor's Degree and graduated December 10, 2023, [23] before committing to Boise State on January 7, 2024.[9][24]

References

  1. ^ "Cam Camper". 247Sports. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Cam Camper 2023 Stats per Game". ESPN. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  3. ^ "Cam Camper". ESPN. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Ankony, Jack (August 17, 2022). "'Coach Cam' Camper Impressing Indiana Peers After Nearly Stepping Away From Football". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  5. ^ Dopirak, Dustin (August 22, 2022). "He had no FBS offers out of high school. But Cam Camper could be IU's top WR this fall". The Herald-Times. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Weaver, Matt (December 14, 2021). "JUCO wideout Cameron Camper makes the call for Indiana". 247Sports. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  7. ^ Ankony, Jack (September 4, 2022). "From Junior College to Big Ten, Cam Camper's Breakout Game Helps Indiana Win Opener". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Elerson, Joe (May 18, 2021). "TVCC Cards named to All-Conference football team". Athens Daily Review. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d "Cam Camper Timeline Events". 247Sports. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  10. ^ O'Keefe, Connor (September 6, 2022). "Indiana football: Five key Hoosiers from the win vs. Illinois". Hoosier State of Mind. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  11. ^ Tow, Seth (September 4, 2022). "IU football WR Cam Camper shines in first game at FBS level". The Daily Hoosier. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  12. ^ Spudich, Jacob (November 1, 2022). "Fresh off bye week, Indiana football faced with Camper injury, more quarterback decisions". Indiana Daily Student. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  13. ^ Dopirak, Dustin (October 22, 2022). "3 reasons IU football lost to Rutgers: Hoosiers blow early lead, drop fifth straight". The Herald-Times. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  14. ^ Jordan, Haley (April 12, 2023). "Indiana's Bedford, Camper Working Their Way Back From ACL Injuries". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  15. ^ Staley, Kyler (August 18, 2023). "Indiana football wide receiver Cam Camper added to Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Preseason Watch List". Hoosier Illustrated. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  16. ^ Brown, Zion (September 8, 2023). "IU football leading WR Cam Camper injured vs. Indiana State". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  17. ^ Ankony, Jack (September 9, 2023). "Indiana Wide Receiver Cam Camper Makes SportsCenter Top 10 Plays, Leaves With Injury". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  18. ^ Schumann, Mike (September 14, 2023). "Promising: Tom Allen says WR Cam Camper practiced this week". The Daily Hoosier. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  19. ^ Olinger, Daniel (September 14, 2023). "Tom Allen on Cam Camper's Injury: 'He's Had a Good Week of Practice'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  20. ^ Goff, Chris (September 24, 2023). "Indiana outlasts Akron 29-27 in four overtimes". Associated Press. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  21. ^ Kelly, Jared (November 6, 2023). "Indiana receiver Cam Camper is done for the season following knee procedure". 247Sports. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  22. ^ Ankony, Jack (November 6, 2023). "Indiana Wide Receiver Cam Camper Out For Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  23. ^ Kelly, Jared (January 8, 2024). "Indiana Football Transfer Portal Tracker - 2023 offseason". 247Sports. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  24. ^ Counts, Ron (January 7, 2024). "Boise State adds well-traveled receiver to pair with promising transfer quarterback". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved February 8, 2024.