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How Anthony Campanile ignites Jaguars defense with family fire
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- How Anthony Campanile ignites Jaguars defense with family fire
Anthony Campanile isn't a complex person.
His defenses are multiple, exploiting offenses with various formations and misdirection. He's calculated and can fool even the greatest minds in the sport of football, as illustrated by Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd 's interception against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5.
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But at his core, the Jaguars' defensive coordinator isn't much more than a good, old-fashioned football coach who sees the people and players around him in one way: as family.
In speaking with many Jaguars defenders over the course of the season, and especially in recent weeks, references to Campanile's family-oriented coaching style were the first words typically uttered when asked about the first-year DC.
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"He's just himself. The genuineness that he carries," Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said in October.
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Before the team hit the grass with its new coaches, Campanile called several of the team's defenders and simply got to know them on a personal level. From family to backgrounds, the players and Campanile bonded before their cleats got dirty for the first time in the spring.
"And then, once you come in and you start seeing the person that he is in the face, and you start to see the coaching habits, you see the old video of him at Miami , fired up. And then you come in, and you hear it, and it's every day," Hines-Allen said with a chuckle, referencing Campanile's appearance on NFL Films' Hard Knocks.
Campanile has an unvarnished passion for the sport of football and for his players. When players perform below their standards, there's no question about what they'll get at the next team meeting. On the flipside, he does everything with purpose; there isn't much shouting into the void.
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"He challenges us every single day ... playing for a coach like that is phenomenal. You can see the love that he has for us and the love that we give to him back," said Hines-Allen.
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Over the course of an 18-week season, Campanile's coaching style has seemed perfectly personified by the defense. Their always-swarming, tough, physical mindset isn't by happenstance. It's a choice.
"He embodies the fire, the edge. You talk about edge, as a coach, he is one of the craziest edges I've ever seen, every single day," Hines-Allen said in December in the midst of the team's eight-game winning streak to close the season.
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Jaguars play with gladiator mindset under Anthony Campanile
Jacksonville's defense was one of the most ball-hawking in the regular season, ranking second in forced turnovers with 31. But the edge is clearly evident in several areas.
Jaguars' physical identity in numbers:
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Rushing yards allowed per game:85.6 (1st)
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Yards per rush allowed:3.9 (5th)
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Rushing touchdowns allowed:13 (T-1st)
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Points allowed per game:19.8 (8th)
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Yards per play allowed:5.0 (8th)
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4th-down conversion % allowed:35.5% (3rd)
Jaguars linebacker Dennis Gardeck said Campanile doesn't hide his disdain for anything soft on film.
"I don't know if I've ever seen somebody have quite a physical response to soft stuff on film like I have Camp," he said.
"Which is awesome."
The eight-year vet has carved out a niche in Campanile's scheme, posting a career-high 48 tackles, six TFL, 2.5 sacks, and nine quarterback hits playing in multiple roles up front.
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"He lets us be us. He lets us play free, and it's a violent, nasty style of defense, and that's something that we enjoy playing [in] and doing, and it's who we are. So if there's anything that doesn't look like that, it kind of sticks out, and he's just done an awesome job and breathed life into my career for sure," he said.
"Being an older guy, just having that [freedom] takes you back to playing football as a kid, just being violent and enjoying the game for what it is," he added.
It's one of the pillars of the team's culture.
Safety Andrew Wignard feels the same.
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"You never want to be the guy that's getting yelled at for loafing, or you never want to be the guy that's not being physical because you know you're gonna get called [on] it," Wingard said. "It's beautiful, and it's like ancient Rome."
"It's like a bunch of warriors who are out in the yard every day, just scrapping and clawing, and then once the lights turn on, it's like we become this 300 Spartans type of group," he added.
The way Jacksonville plays has allowed numerous players to thrive.
Third-year safety Antonio Johnson has broken out under Campanile, too. He's totaled 58 tackles, five interceptions, nine pass breakups and two sacks this season after stepping in midseason for an injured Eric Murray . Since Murray's return, Johnson has continued to see plenty of playing time.
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Campanile has put Johnson in different positions on the field, allowing him to capitalize on his athleticism.
"[Campanile] lets me go out there and play ball. Been able to go out there with a free mind, attack the ball, just play my style of football. Playing free, rangy, playing a lot of man, playing zone, just being able to switch it up," Johnson added.
And every Jaguars defender would back this:
"He just brings the energy every day, and he's so genuine. When you have a coach like that, the players run through a brick wall, and it shows on Sundays, the effort that we play with, the energy that we play with, the love that we play with all come from the head man," said Johnson.
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"It trickles down to the players, and it trickles down to the locker room in general, offense, defense, special teams, like it's all one brotherhood out there."
Jaguars family-focused defense embodies team culture
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile hugs safety Andrew Wingard (42) before an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10.
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen had been aware of Campanile for years before he hired him, dating back to when Coen coached at Maine, Campanile at Boston College.
He'd heard of the Campanile family's deep New Jersey coaching roots but didn't truly see Anthony Campanile's impact until visiting a BC practice for staff development.
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"I just was watching their practice and saw his style and the way that his players kind of responded to him. And then I watched their meetings and was like, 'Oh, dude's pretty impressive,'" Coen recalled, earlier this week.
What kept them in touch was a shared connection to Don Brown, who worked with Campanile at Michigan and was Coen's college head coach at UMass.
What brought the two together was a shared mentality that jumped out to Coen.
"When you looked at Green Bay last year, their run defense specifically and how they played the run, how they played as a group, I really respected ... I know some of his players in Green Bay at the time were hurting when he left and that was a huge reason why he didn't really want to leave was because of the relationship with the players," he explained.
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His ability to connect stood out instantly in Jacksonville, and it's evolved throughout the season.
"When you see a player walk into the stadium with his face on his shirt, as [S] Antonio [Johnson] did, it's kind of cool. He shows you that there's a relationship there," said Coen.
"He's a very passionate person. So, it shows in his work, he pours into it and the relationship piece is the main part that I've always respected and appreciated about Camp."
Campanile's player-led coaching style traces straight back to his roots.
Growing up, he watched his father coach the same way: challenge players hard, but love them harder.
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"Caring about people — if you love people, you love being around people, [then] this is a great business because it's a proactive business to be in," Campanile said in December. "But I kind of saw that in his process, putting it in the hands of the players. Developing a culture first and then letting them take that and run with it."
To Campanile, culture trumps scheme.
"You could line up in empty every play on offense or you could be in the wishbone in every play. It all works, it's all good, but it's who's doing it? How hard are they doing it? How hard are they playing? And I think at the end of the day, it's hard to give up on guys that you care about," he said.
That's fuel for this year's Jaguars' defense.
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"[Campanile] says, the love you have for your teammate is measured by the distance of the ball at the end of the play, like everybody's trying to get to the ball. Everybody cares about one another. So just as violent and nasty as we are on tape, that's how much we love each other in the meeting room and care about each other.
"Usually, you get one of the other," Gardeck said, "but he's the package deal."
That intensity carries over to how Campanile coaches every day.
"When something bad happens in practice, he's [yelling at us]. But, the second we're in a game, he completely flips the switch to....he's like the loving Dad, you know what I mean? So, nobody's scared to mess up in a game because we'll come to the sideline, he'll be like, 'alright, do this, do that,' whatever, move onto the next play," Wingard explained.
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"So, it's really beautiful how he operates and just gets guys to be their fullest selves."
On Sunday, the Jaguars (13-4) host the Buffalo Bills (12-5) in the Wild Card Round at EverBank Stadium.
A battle between the top-ranked run defense against the top rushing attack.
"This is why you play in the National Football League. I know I wanted to play in the NFL because I wanted to test my stuff against the best," said Gardeck.
"And what an opportunity we have."
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky at Demetrius .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Anthony Campanile's family culture powers Jaguars defense
