Eastern Michigan Athletics
Erik Campbell Named EMU Football Assistant Coach
2/2/2026 2:55:00 PM | Football
Campbell will serve as Eastern’s wide receivers coach
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Erik "Soup" Campbell, an assistant with the University of Michigan in 2025, has been named an assistant football coach at Eastern Michigan University, Head Coach Chris Creighton announced today, Feb. 2. Campbell brings nearly four decades of collegiate and professional coaching experience to Ypsilanti, along with a proven record of player development, recruiting success, and championship-level achievement.
Campbell arrives at EMU with more than 37 years of coaching experience, including 18 seasons in the Big Ten Conference and two seasons in the Canadian Football League. His career spans the highest levels of college football and professional football, with sustained success across multiple programs and roles. He joins the Eagles after spending the 2025 season at Michigan as the assistant wide receivers coach, continuing a long-standing connection with his alma mater.
"I am excited to announce Coach Erik Soup Campbell as our wide receivers coach," said Creighton. "He has a ton of experience, knows the MAC and has a great group to work with. He is going to make us better."
Throughout his career, Campbell has participated in 27 postseason games, including four as a student-athlete. His postseason experience includes four Rose Bowls as a coach, two Orange Bowls, an Outback Bowl championship, and a national championship at Michigan.
Campbell has coached and mentored dozens of players who advanced to the National Football League. His list of former players includes Charles Woodson, Braylon Edwards, Amani Toomer, Jason Avant, Mario Manningham, and many others. His ability to prepare athletes for professional careers stands as a defining part of his coaching legacy.
"I am excited about the opportunity Coach Creighton has given me to help develop and mentor the young men of Eastern Michigan University," Campbell added.
Before his most recent stop in Ann Arbor, Campbell spent six seasons at Bowling Green State University from 2019-24 as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach. During his tenure, Bowling Green produced consistent receiving success and individual growth across the position group. Campbell set an NCAA record with eight consecutive seasons featuring a 1,000-yard receiver, a mark that reflects both scheme and individual development.
At Bowling Green, All-MAC performer Odieu Hiliare thrived under Campbell's direction. Over the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Hiliare recorded 103 receptions for 1,279 yards and 10 touchdowns before signing a free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons in 2024. Campbell also guided the development of Tyrone Broden, who emerged as a deep threat during the 2021 season with 36 receptions, 596 yards, and five touchdowns before transferring to Arkansas. Austin Osborne also took a major step forward that year, finishing with a team-high 64 receptions after entering the program with only one career catch.
Earlier in his Bowling Green tenure, Campbell helped Julian Ortega-Jones emerge as a receiving threat in 2019 while also integrating running backs into the passing game, highlighted by Marlow leading the wide receiver room in receptions. His work with the Falcons reinforced a long-standing reputation as a developer of production, consistency, and confidence at the skill positions.
Prior to Bowling Green, Campbell spent the 2017-18 seasons at the University of Delaware as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach. His work continued a trend of elevating receiver play, including coaching Joe Walker to CAA All-Conference honors while leading the league in yards per catch, a first in program history.
Campbell coached wide receivers at the University of Connecticut in 2016, where Noel Thomas earned AAC All-Conference recognition and the Bulger Lowe Award as New England's top player. Thomas set school records for single-season receptions and finished second in single-season receiving yards, further underscoring Campbell's impact on individual development.
From 2013-14, Campbell coached wide receivers for the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL. During that span, he coached S.J. Green to first-team All-Pro honors while Green led the CFL in touchdown receptions. His time in Canada added professional experience and broadened his exposure to different offensive systems and coaching structures.
Campbell spent five seasons at the University of Iowa from 2008-12, coaching wide receivers and tight ends. During that time, Iowa produced some of the most accomplished pass catchers in school history. In 2010, two wide receivers earned All-Big Ten honors in the same season for the first time in program history. In 2011, Marvin McNutt earned Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year honors before being selected in the NFL Draft. Campbell coached Iowa's top three all-time leading receivers, including McNutt, Kevonte Martin-Manley, and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, along with NFL tight ends Brandon Myers and Tony Moeaki.
A cornerstone of Campbell's career came during his long tenure at Michigan from 1995-07. He served as wide receivers coach throughout that stretch and as assistant head coach from 2003-07. Campbell played a key role in Michigan's 1997 national championship and coached three All-Americans, including David Terrell, Marquise Walker, and Braylon Edwards. His receivers earned 18 All-Big Ten selections, and his unit produced nine 1,000-yard receivers, including eight consecutive seasons, an NCAA record.
After leaving Michigan, Campbell later returned in 2015 as the assistant director of football operations and recruiting coordinator under Jim Harbaugh, adding administrative and organizational leadership to his extensive on-field background.
Campbell began his coaching career immediately after his playing days, starting as the running backs coach at Navy from 1989-90. He held the same role at Ball State University from 1991-93 and at Syracuse in 1994 before returning to Michigan.
As a player, Campbell starred at Michigan from 1984-87 as a defensive back. He started 30 career games, including the final 25 of his career, and remains the only player in program history to start all four secondary positions in a single season. He participated in four bowl games as a student-athlete, including the Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl.
A native of Gary, Ind., Campbell graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School, where he earned all-state honors in football and All-American recognition in track after leading his team to back-to-back state championships. He earned his bachelor's degree in general studies from the University of Michigan in 1988.
Campbell's impact extends beyond the field. He is a member of the Indiana High School Football Hall of Fame and the Indiana High School Track and Field Hall of Fame. In 2010, he received the Benjamin Hooks Award from the Gary chapter of the NAACP in recognition of his efforts to promote equal opportunity through policy and program leadership. He also organized and directed fundraising initiatives for the University of Michigan Cancer Center, raising more than $1 million.
Campbell arrives at EMU with more than 37 years of coaching experience, including 18 seasons in the Big Ten Conference and two seasons in the Canadian Football League. His career spans the highest levels of college football and professional football, with sustained success across multiple programs and roles. He joins the Eagles after spending the 2025 season at Michigan as the assistant wide receivers coach, continuing a long-standing connection with his alma mater.
"I am excited to announce Coach Erik Soup Campbell as our wide receivers coach," said Creighton. "He has a ton of experience, knows the MAC and has a great group to work with. He is going to make us better."
Throughout his career, Campbell has participated in 27 postseason games, including four as a student-athlete. His postseason experience includes four Rose Bowls as a coach, two Orange Bowls, an Outback Bowl championship, and a national championship at Michigan.
Campbell has coached and mentored dozens of players who advanced to the National Football League. His list of former players includes Charles Woodson, Braylon Edwards, Amani Toomer, Jason Avant, Mario Manningham, and many others. His ability to prepare athletes for professional careers stands as a defining part of his coaching legacy.
"I am excited about the opportunity Coach Creighton has given me to help develop and mentor the young men of Eastern Michigan University," Campbell added.
Before his most recent stop in Ann Arbor, Campbell spent six seasons at Bowling Green State University from 2019-24 as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach. During his tenure, Bowling Green produced consistent receiving success and individual growth across the position group. Campbell set an NCAA record with eight consecutive seasons featuring a 1,000-yard receiver, a mark that reflects both scheme and individual development.
At Bowling Green, All-MAC performer Odieu Hiliare thrived under Campbell's direction. Over the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Hiliare recorded 103 receptions for 1,279 yards and 10 touchdowns before signing a free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons in 2024. Campbell also guided the development of Tyrone Broden, who emerged as a deep threat during the 2021 season with 36 receptions, 596 yards, and five touchdowns before transferring to Arkansas. Austin Osborne also took a major step forward that year, finishing with a team-high 64 receptions after entering the program with only one career catch.
Earlier in his Bowling Green tenure, Campbell helped Julian Ortega-Jones emerge as a receiving threat in 2019 while also integrating running backs into the passing game, highlighted by Marlow leading the wide receiver room in receptions. His work with the Falcons reinforced a long-standing reputation as a developer of production, consistency, and confidence at the skill positions.
Prior to Bowling Green, Campbell spent the 2017-18 seasons at the University of Delaware as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach. His work continued a trend of elevating receiver play, including coaching Joe Walker to CAA All-Conference honors while leading the league in yards per catch, a first in program history.
Campbell coached wide receivers at the University of Connecticut in 2016, where Noel Thomas earned AAC All-Conference recognition and the Bulger Lowe Award as New England's top player. Thomas set school records for single-season receptions and finished second in single-season receiving yards, further underscoring Campbell's impact on individual development.
From 2013-14, Campbell coached wide receivers for the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL. During that span, he coached S.J. Green to first-team All-Pro honors while Green led the CFL in touchdown receptions. His time in Canada added professional experience and broadened his exposure to different offensive systems and coaching structures.
Campbell spent five seasons at the University of Iowa from 2008-12, coaching wide receivers and tight ends. During that time, Iowa produced some of the most accomplished pass catchers in school history. In 2010, two wide receivers earned All-Big Ten honors in the same season for the first time in program history. In 2011, Marvin McNutt earned Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year honors before being selected in the NFL Draft. Campbell coached Iowa's top three all-time leading receivers, including McNutt, Kevonte Martin-Manley, and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, along with NFL tight ends Brandon Myers and Tony Moeaki.
A cornerstone of Campbell's career came during his long tenure at Michigan from 1995-07. He served as wide receivers coach throughout that stretch and as assistant head coach from 2003-07. Campbell played a key role in Michigan's 1997 national championship and coached three All-Americans, including David Terrell, Marquise Walker, and Braylon Edwards. His receivers earned 18 All-Big Ten selections, and his unit produced nine 1,000-yard receivers, including eight consecutive seasons, an NCAA record.
After leaving Michigan, Campbell later returned in 2015 as the assistant director of football operations and recruiting coordinator under Jim Harbaugh, adding administrative and organizational leadership to his extensive on-field background.
Campbell began his coaching career immediately after his playing days, starting as the running backs coach at Navy from 1989-90. He held the same role at Ball State University from 1991-93 and at Syracuse in 1994 before returning to Michigan.
As a player, Campbell starred at Michigan from 1984-87 as a defensive back. He started 30 career games, including the final 25 of his career, and remains the only player in program history to start all four secondary positions in a single season. He participated in four bowl games as a student-athlete, including the Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl.
A native of Gary, Ind., Campbell graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School, where he earned all-state honors in football and All-American recognition in track after leading his team to back-to-back state championships. He earned his bachelor's degree in general studies from the University of Michigan in 1988.
Campbell's impact extends beyond the field. He is a member of the Indiana High School Football Hall of Fame and the Indiana High School Track and Field Hall of Fame. In 2010, he received the Benjamin Hooks Award from the Gary chapter of the NAACP in recognition of his efforts to promote equal opportunity through policy and program leadership. He also organized and directed fundraising initiatives for the University of Michigan Cancer Center, raising more than $1 million.
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