Spartan DE Jack Camper transfers to Virginia

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MSU defensive end Jack Camper warms up vs. Indiana/ Photo Credit: MSU Athletic Communications

Manit Patel, General Assignment Reporter
January 18, 2022

EAST LANSING, Mich— Yet another Michigan State Spartan has chosen a new school via the transfer portal; defensive end Jack Camper announced his commitment to Virginia on Saturday evening. 

Camper, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound. defensive lineman, was recruited by the Spartans in 2017 as a tight end under former head coach Mark Dantonio. He played his high school football at IMG Academy, located in Bradenton, Florida. 

During his senior year at IMG, he helped lead the team to a perfect 11-0 record and a No. 2 final national ranking by USA Today. He played on both sides of the ball as a tight end and defensive lineman.

As a recruit, Camper was rated a three-star by 247Sports. He was ranked as the No. 760 player in the country for the class of 2017 and the No. 35 tight end in the class. Camper received a total of nine Division I offers, with other notable schools offering him including Georgia, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Purdue, UCF, and Virginia Tech. 

Over a three-year span, he appeared in 27 games for MSU (two starts) while notching 29 tackles to go along with 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack. In 2020, Camper compiled a career-high 18 tackles and two tackles for loss while starting in the season finale against Penn State.

After appearing in games against Northwestern and Youngstown State, Camper announced his intention to transfer away from East Lansing on Dec. 13 before verbally committing to Virginia on Jan. 15. He suffered a triceps tear after the Youngstown State game and was subsequently out for the rest of the season.

He is the eight former Spartan to announce their new destinations for 2022 along with cornerback Kalon Gervin (Kansas), linebacker Chase Kline (Eastern Michigan), linebacker Cole DeMarzo (Wyoming), defensive lineman Tyson Watson (UMass), defensive tackle Kyle King (Ball State), offensive lineman James Ohonba (Louisiana-Lafayette), and tight end Kameron Allen (SMU). Safety Michael Dowell was previously committed to Pittsburgh, but reentered the transfer portal on Jan. 13.