Brand Campbell ’27 to step in as new starting QB
Quarterback and starting punter Blake White ’25 will not return for the remainder of the 2024 football season. White informed the team on September 22, that his injury was season-ending.
White exited the field in the third quarter of the Homecoming contest against Ohio Wesleyan on September 14, 2024 and did not return for the game against the University of Wisconsin-Platteville the following week. His official injury is a fully torn pectoralis major and torn AC joint with a shoulder fracture, that was probably a result of the week-one game against St. Norbert College.
“I was in my throwing motion and the three technique got through on the right side,” said White. “My running back picked him up and in doing so, pinned my arm back while I was all the way back to throw the ball. I got hit on my left side, which stretched my chest out even more, and I took a hit directly to the pectoral.”
The senior quarterback underwent reconstructive surgery and will take six months to fully recover.
With White on the sideline, the role of quarterback falls to Brand Campbell ’27, who started against Platteville. Campbell has shown signs of capability while on the field, leaving the program hopeful that the offense can be salvaged. The sophomore went 16 for 29 on pass attempts in his first start, which was good for 185 yards and two touchdowns.
White will remain on the team and transition into the role of quarterback mentor, to help get his replacement up to speed.
“Blake has been awesome,” said Campbell. “He’s basically a coach now for me, and I think the rest of the team saw that a lot, and kind of rallied behind him as well as me. So we’re all playing team ball – no selfish ball out there.”
With the benefit of a bye week to get their feet under them. Head Football Coach Don Morel expects Campbell to join the offense seamlessly without a noticeable dropoff under center. The team also has a stretch of easier weeks before they hit the heart of the conference in late October.
“Every snap [Campbell] takes, he gets a little better at catching a snap and handling all the calls and emotions,” said Morel. “We’ve got a stretch where Wooster is a decent football team. I think we should beat them, but Brand is going to get about a month of work and then we need to really be ready down the stretch.”
“I don’t think there’s much of a mentality shift,” said Campbell. “I had the same mentality the whole time – ready to play if anything happened to Blake. I was always ready to go in, and, unfortunately, he got hurt. But the mentality hasn’t changed. It’s been all go since I’ve gotten here, and that’s what I came here to do, is play quarterback.”
To replace White as punter, the Little Giants have a few options. Cole Dickerson ’28 started against Platteville, putting up 299 yards on nine attempts. Brody Rucker ’26 who handles the team’s field goals and kickoffs is another candidate.
Ultimately the team has a road ahead to move on without White, but a friendly schedule and strong reserves will give Morel and his team a good opportunity to recover from the loss.