Southeastern Louisiana quarterback Carson Camp is a Normal West graduate who has played against Illinois State three previous times in his career. (Photo by LionSports.net)
By Barry Bottino
One year ago, Carson Camp was unsure of his future and recovering from a torn ACL.
“I was at home and not on a team and not in school,” he said.
The Southeastern Louisiana quarterback, who starred at Normal Community West High School just a short drive from Illinois State’s Hancock Stadium, put his focus on recovery and his next steps.
He found that in Hammond, La., which is nearly 800 miles from home. Carson’s younger brother Gavin, a redshirt freshman wide receiver at Illinois State, played an important role in his path to Louisiana.
On Saturday, the brothers’ teams will meet in the first round of the FCS playoffs.
“It’s been a good fit,” said Carson Camp, a junior who has thrown for 14 touchdowns and four interceptions for the Lions (9-3). “Obviously we’re in the playoffs, and that’s been awesome.”
Camp and No. 16 seed SLU will host the Redbirds at noon Saturday, Nov. 29. The winner will travel to play No. 1 seed North Dakota State on Dec. 6.
Brotherly duties
Having been in the transfer portal twice during his career, Carson Camp relied on his brother for some helping hands.
“He’s a receiver in my hometown that will be willing to go out and catch footballs from me,” Carson Camp joked. “He’s helped me a lot with my own craft and just being there for me. Whenever I want to throw in the off-season, which is pretty much every day, he’s there for me.”
For Gavin Camp, who is developing behind a veteran group of ISU wide receivers, the benefits have been immense.
“He’s the best quarterback I’ve ever caught a pass from,” he said. “He can throw the crap out of the ball. It made me better because when we watch film, he would say, ‘You need to do this, this and this.’ He’s been in it for a while, so he knows the ins and outs.”
Family time
The night before the FCS pairings were released, Carson Camp said friends were texting him various predictions of where the Lions would end up.
One of them was in the upper left quadrant of the 24-team bracket, which is how ESPNU started its bracket reveal. The first team announced was Illinois State, who received an at-large bid but is not seeded.
“I thought, ‘I remember from last night that we were in that quadrant. Maybe they’ll play Southeast-’ … I didn’t even finish Southeastern, and our name popped up. My face lit up and I was pretty pumped.”
In Normal, Gavin Camp had a similar reaction at a team event.
“I was pretty shocked,” he said. “I looked at a couple of my buddies and said, ‘This is crazy.’”
For the Camp’s parents – Jimmy and Jenny – Saturday will involve a lot less travel than usual.
“It means they don’t have to go to different spots,” Gavin Camp said. “This gets both their boys on the same field. That’s pretty cool.”
Carson Camp, who previously played at South Dakota and Sacramento State, added: “It’s a full-circle moment. It means a lot. It’s going to be fun.”
Familiar foe
Carson Camp has played against Illinois State three times during his three-year tenure at South Dakota, where his career began.
During the 2020 COVID season, Camp was 20-for-35 for 221 yards and two TDs as the first true freshman to start at QB for the Coyotes. He helped the team to a 27-20 victory in Normal.
In 2021, he was 3-for-5 passing in a 20-14 loss against the Redbirds as South Dakota’s backup. He was 9-for-16 for 117 yards in a 14-12 loss the following year as a starter.
With that experience, and his familiarity with the Redbirds, Camp said he knows what to expect from ISU, which has a long-standing reputation for strong defenses from head coach Brock Spack and defensive coordinator Travis Niekamp.
“I’ve known Illinois State since I was born,” he said. “Spack has been there since I was 4 or 5 years old. We know each other pretty well. I know what Niekamp’s going to bring and he knows what I’m going to bring.”
Back on his feet
Carson Camp is completing 62% of his passes for an offense that includes a diverse ground game. Four players have rushed for 390 yards or more and each have five or more touchdowns, including fellow quarterback Kyle Lowe.
Gavin Camp said the biggest change for his brother is obvious.
“He can actually run now, which is kind of shocking,” Gavin joked.
“I’m a lot more athletic,” Carson said of his ACL recovery. “I have a lot more velocity on the ball. I changed my grip on the football in the off-season. I feel like I’ve made a big jump.”
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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