As if right on cue, Calumet sophomore Jaden Campbell directed a passionate and penetrating question in the direction of coach Nick Testa during a recent practice.
Campbell asked where to throw the ball on a particular play with a certain coverage, a moment that underscored the dual nature of the 6-foot-4, 185-pound quarterback.
“He’s really stepped up, taken advantage of his opportunities, and the best part about it, he’s a kid,” Testa said. “You can tell he’s 15, 16 years old. He acts like a kid, and he has that youthful exuberance. But when it’s time to lock in, he locks in.
“He wants as much information as possible. He’s a football junkie, even though he’s a good basketball player too. But he’s a great kid, and the sky’s the limit for this kid. I mean, he’s a big kid right now as a sophomore, and he has a rocket for an arm. He’s learning how to read defenses and do things that quarterbacks do, making sure everyone’s set with protections, things like that. He’s really come a long way, but he can get so much better too — really become a special player.”
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Campbell showed that potential during the Warriors’ Week 2 victory over River Forest, their first win under Testa. Campbell completed 19 of 22 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns.
Testa described it as “a career game” for Campbell, the pinnacle to date in a process that began last season as he has become the No. 1 quarterback for Calumet, which finally started school Tuesday in the aftermath of the Aug. 11 storms.
“I’ve really been getting better at looking at the defense and reading the defense,” Campbell said. “Like knowing what spots I need to hit in the defense, really knowing where our plays should be heading. The coaching staff is really preparing us. We’re getting the right looks on film, our blitz pickups. They’re like giving us the answers to the test. That really helped me against River Forest, knowing what I was doing out there and then going out there and handling business.
“Coach came in and gave us a whole new playbook, and I’m loving it. It involves way more passing, so as a quarterback, I’m loving it.”
Three quarterbacks got significant playing time for Calumet last season, when then-junior running back Bryce Brandon rushed for 1,504 yards and 24 TDs. Campbell drew three starts and completed 23 of a team-high 44 passes for 313 yards and three TDs. It was a learning experience for him — and a valuable one.
“I wouldn’t even lie. At first, it was scary,” he said. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to be the player to come in and change the game or not. But I got the gist of it. I got in my groove and got in my rhythm, and once I get in my groove and my rhythm, I don’t feel like anybody can stop me. So I just have to get going.
“This year, I feel like I can lead my whole offense and we could go do something big. This coaching staff, they trust me. They trust me to make these throws and deliver them. That’s why I love them. Then we knock down passes like that, it opens up our running game for our running back Bryce Brandon, and when we all come together like that, nobody can stop us.”
After last season, Campbell was engaged in a quarterback competition with senior Christian Wesson, who was also part of the trio in 2025. That competition lasted through the entire offseason and even extended into Week 1, when the two quarterbacks split reps. Campbell completed 5 of 8 passes for 86 yards and a TD.
“Jaden’s had a really good start to the season and won the job,” Testa said. “He holds himself and his teammates accountable, and he’s won the respect of his teammates by how he’s played throughout the summer and how he handled the situation — actually how both quarterbacks handled the situation. They both rooted for each other. They both helped each other.
“Jaden was just the more consistent quarterback, which isn’t something you would think or say about a 15-, 16-year-old kid, but that’s what won him the job. He’s taking it now and running with it.”
Campbell lauded Wesson.
“Christian Wesson is a great quarterback,” Campbell said. “He scrambles more, and I stay in the pocket more and throw the ball. I’m not the best scrambler, but I will get out if I need to. He’s a great quarterback, so ending up winning that battle, it wasn’t easy. It’s a great feeling.”
Junior wide receiver Brandon Smith Jr. praised Campbell, whose brother Juri is a senior wide receiver for the Warriors.
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“He’s awesome, just awesome,” Smith said. “I’m glad he got with the starting varsity group. He’s tall, can see everything, versatile. He can run it. He can throw it far. He can do everything you want a quarterback to be able to do.”
Campbell also had a strong freshman season in basketball, averaging 5.1 points and 3.7 rebounds for the Warriors. But he’s more focused on football, a sport he grew up playing. He didn’t start playing basketball until middle school.
“Because I was tall, my coach just said, ‘Come try out,’” Campbell said. “I was like, ‘I’m not doing anything else because I’m in middle school,’ so I did it. It just popped up.
“I’m not going to throw down basketball, but I really play that sport to stay in condition for football. This is my main sport.”
Campbell’s aspirations reflect that. He’s targeting 2,000 passing yards this season and a high level of team success in both the regular season and playoffs. He also has an eye on playing in college.
“Honestly, by my senior year, or even this year, I really want to make a state run with Calumet,” Campbell said. “I love how my team’s moving. I feel like we have the right guys and the right coaching staff to go far. We just have to put in that time and really lock in.
“I just hope everybody’s looking out for Calumet because we’re coming to come strong. We’re playing our butts off, working our butts off. We’re ready. We’re trying to make a good run.”