Brandon Folsom

Special to the Detroit Free Press

Three years ago, some thought Jayru Campbell would never make it to college, let alone graduate from one.

The former Detroit Cass Tech quarterback proved a lot of people wrong when he received a two-year degree from Garden City Community College in Kansas and walked in the school's commencement last week.

As a prominent member of Garden City's football program, Campbell's coaches say he worked tirelessly to put his checkered past behind him, including a pair of 2014 arrests that cost him his senior year of high school and a Michigan State football scholarship.

In Kansas, he helped the Broncbusters win a national championship in 2016.

"We call them guys who had a bad night, and we say that because we don't feel like we have bad people in our program," said Broncbusters coach Jeff Sims, referencing Campbell, a four-star recruit and former MSU commit. "We work too hard to offer structure and discipline in our program to make sure we don't have bad people here.

"Jayru has made some mistakes in the past, but sometimes it's the environment guys are from, or it's the expectations people from back home have of you. Sometimes as a young person, you don't know how to get out of that situation."

In January 2014, Campbell was videotaped body-slamming a security guard at Cass Tech. He later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and spent 60 days in jail and was sentenced to 15 months probation.

He was released on Sept. 18, but he violated his parole that same day after an altercation with his former girlfriend at school landed him back in jail. He was accused of taking her phone and shoving her to the ground

Sims said Campbell, who declined to be interviewed for this story, has done everything he can to move past those incidents.

"He's been outstanding," Sims said. "Not only has he graduated, but he's been a leader and a tremendously hard worker.

"He's a guy other guys are attracted to, and they like to follow his lead."

Sims said Campbell has completed his probation and has attended anger management classes.

The veteran coach's favorite story of Campbell's rehabilitation came this past season.

Campbell was the Broncbusters' starting quarterback, leading the team to a 2-0 start. However, a late transfer in three-star QB Dwayne Lawson from Virginia Tech gave them a pair of Division I-level arms.

Sims thought it'd be best to move Campbell to receiver to keep as many elite athletes together on the field as possible.

"Jayru was doing well, but we felt out team would be better if he was at receiver, and this transfer was at quarterback," Sims said. "Jayru moved, and he had no problem with it. So then we beat a quality team in our league and were 3-0."

Lawson broke a team rule the following week and lost his starting job.

Sims inserted third-stringer Peyton Huslig at QB and kept Campbell at receiver.

"Going into our fourth game, Jayru was still our best quarterback on the team, but we brought him and said, 'Listen, for this weekend's game, you're our starting quarterback, and we think you're outstanding, but our best shot to win is with you at wide receiver,' " Sims said. "His response was, 'I'll do whatever it takes to win. We played the third string quarterback (Huslig), and he threw for over 300 yards that game. That quarterback led us to a national championship and now has Division I offers."

Huslig landed with Missouri State, a Football Championship Subdivision team, in January.

Campbell still doesn't have an offer, and Sims said part of that was Campbell's move to receiver, which helped the Broncbusters finish 11-0 and beat Arizona Western College, 25-22, in the NJCAA national championship in December.

"Whoever gives me an opportunity, that's who I'm going to ride with," Campbell told the Free Press in July. "I'm not being too specific, not being picky."

Campbell has made the most of his time at receiver, even creating a special bond with his position coach, Daniel McKinney, a River Rouge native who was an all-state player at Melvindale and once starred as a wideout at Florida Atlantic University.

"We brought him in the office and told him he was a better player at receiver," McKinney said. "Since the first day he stepped on the field as a receiver, he's competed at the highest level. I know the coaching staff he comes from, so he been awesome at listening and has been a leader on our team, no matter where he's played – quarterback or receiver."

McKinney said Campbell (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) used to pull him aside for one-on-one drills after practice.

The two called those drills "extra credit."

"We'd do ladder drills, footwork drills and different drills that I'd pick out that day," McKinney continued. "We chose to work on whatever we felt like he needed to work on for that day."

McKinney, too, played a role in helping Campbell erase his negative past.

McKinney remembers a conversation he had with Campbell about cutting the long hair he wore at Cass Tech. The two went to a barbershop together and each got haircuts.

"A lot of people don't know this, but Jayru cut his hair off, and that's something we talked about with leaving the past in the past and starting a new beginning," McKinney said. "That was about letting everything go and removing that image of what people once thought he was. He's a well-mannered man now who has grown up."

Sims said some D-I programs have asked Campbell but said it couldn't accept him as a transfer because of his history.

Both Sims and McKinney believe Campbell has learned from his past. They think any program would be happy to add the receiver as an instant playmaker who could lead a team.

"I would say this to any team listening: You should take a chance on this guy," McKinney said. "Jayru made a mistake when he was 15 years old. I can tell you about the dumb things I did when I was 15. But he just happened to be an All-American quarterback at Cass Tech High School and a state champion.

"He was living his life, but he made a mistake. It wasn't right, but it was a mistake, and we've had no problems out of Jayru since he's been here. He's never given us any issues. He was arguably one of the best players on our team, and that's the truth. We've put Jayru on kick off, let him play quarterback and he played receiver. At one point, Jayru sat on the bench and cheered on his team when he wasn't playing. He's done nothing but give us everything he has. That's all I can ask out of someone."

Sims offered similar praise of Campbell.

"I promise you this: If someone gives him an opportunity, they'll call us back one day and thank us for how much he's grown up," Sims said. "He made mistakes in high school, sure, but I know he's not proud of that. But he could have never done that while he's been here. We wouldn't let him do that, and we feel like he has grown into a better person."