Maryland Athletics
Alabama Game Week Scouting Report: Ole Miss Linebackers Chance Campbell/MoMo Sanogo
A year ago, MoMi Sanogo was the leading tackler for Ole Miss against Alabama, with nine stops.
This time, fans may not see too much of him.
Although Sanago has played in 38 games for the Rebels, with 19 starts, he's listed second on the depth chart at middle linebacker when Ole Miss is in its usual 4-2-5 formation.
It helps explain why he only has seven tackles his season. Instead, graduate transfer Chance Campbell has become the heart of the Ole Miss defense, and leads the defense in tackles.
He previously was at Maryland, where head coach, and former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Mike Locksley called him a "huge bright spot" on a defense that otherwise struggled.
"He’s reckless with his body, plays with great effort, passion, all of the pillars that we have in our program," Locksley said last season. "He represents them the way he plays the game and prepares. So it’s good to see him show and lead by example, especially with a young team, and it’s great to have him on our side and doing great things.”
He was exactly the kind of player that Ole Miss needed to add on the defensive side, and Campbell liked the idea of being reunited with former Maryland head coach turned Rebel co-defensive coordinator DJ Durkin.
Campbell was an All-Big Ten honorable mention choice this past fall after ranking second in the conference in tackles per game (11.0) and third in solo stops per game (5.7), in just four games (he ended up testing positive for Covid-19).
Overall, he appeared in 25 career games at Maryland from 2018-20.
"They're pretty balanced," Campbell said about Alabama. "They have a really strong run game and use that to set up RPOs, which are dangerous and give defenses a lot of problems. They take deep shots and have the guys that spread the field, present different looks and make you be aware of that. They stretch you vertically, stretch you horizontally and they hit you up the middle. They're pretty versatile."
"They're dangerous and we understand that."
To help demonstrate the difference between the players, here's the NFL Draft Bible evaluation on Sanogo.
MoMo Sanogo
Jersey: No. 46
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6-1
Weight: 240
DOB: 2/18/99
Draft eligible: 2022
Hometown: Plano, Texas
High School: Plano West
Pros
Possessing size and length, Sanogo has his hands ready to arrive at extension and stack blocks. His hands are quick and strong to shed effectively. He has the play strength required to play in traffic and take on lead blocks. In obvious running situations, Sanogo reads the play quickly and flows to the ball. He is a reliable tackler, getting ball carriers to the ground.
Cons
Sanogo lacks the required athleticism and range to play inside linebacker in today’s NFL. He is slow to the sideline and in space. Sanogo fails to change directions, not having twitchy athleticism and springiness. In coverage, he merely drops to spots and has slow feet causing him to get grabby in man. His closing speed is slow, giving quarterbacks plenty of time to get rid of the ball when he blitzes. Sanogo plays the run first, biting hard on play action.
Summary
Big linebacker with length and physicality to take on blocks. Sango succeeds at defending the inside run. He is a very limited athlete, costing him range and dynamism in coverage where he also lacks instincts. Sanogo projects as a camp body who could be best suited as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 or strongside linebacker in a 4-3 due to his issues in space. He is just too limited to stick on an NFL roster.
Grades
5.0 (current Value)/5.1 (potential value)
BamaCentral
Campbell is a gamer, the kind of player every coach wants on his team. He's listed as 6-2, 240 pounds, and he gets the big picture on how to make those around him better. However, this will be not only be his first SEC game, but first SEC road game in a hostile setting, so it'll be interesting to see how well he and his teammates work together and react to the environment of a packed Bryant-Denny Stadium going crazy for the return of Lane Kiffin. Look for Alabama to try and get Campbell on his heels, with a diverse game-plan, play-action and the non-wide receivers in the passing game. But the Crimson Tide knows this isn't the same defense as last year that gave up 63 points to Alabama.
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BamaCentral will profile numerous Ole Miss players this week the Crimson Tide prepares to host the Rebels at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. Also check out NFL Draft Bible for more evaluations.
