Andrew Wingard's Anthony Campanile remarks show why Jaguars fans love him so much

Safety Andrew Wingard isn't what you would call a superstar, but his candid personality has made him a fan favorite and a respected locker room voice among the Jacksonville Jaguars. In 2025, the seventh-year veteran will be playing for his fifth defensive coordinator since landing with the Jags. But instead of rolling his eyes and complaining about the dearth of continuity, he's hyped up to play for Anthony Campanile.

Wingard had a one-on-one interview with Jamal St. Cyr of News4Jax and said that he's thrilled about Campanile's arrival, citing his football knowledge and intensity as the reasons why.

"Oh, he's intense. He's intense. I'd love to be in a bar fight with him, because I know he would absolutely just do whatever it takes to go kick someone's [expletive] or help his brother out. But he's intense. I love him. But aside from that intensity and that, he's got that jersey, kind of, you can just tell he's a dawg. But he's smart, he's smart. He coached under Jeff Hafley last year in Green Bay. He's been with Vic Fangio, so he knows his stuff."

Wingard continued, "And it's cool to see him kind of put the X's and O's on the tape, but then add that intensity, mixing that X's and O's with the just intense and violent culture of great defenses. So it's cool to see him meld that. I just love, I'm excited to play for him."

Later in his exchange, the veteran safety says Campanile is the kind of coach you want to play for.

"I mean, that's basically what it is, because you can do all you want X's and O's if you don't have the violent culture that he's preaching and the want to and the hunt with each other every Sunday. That's what great defenses are built on, and that's what they're really harping on," Wingard said.

Wingard joined the Jags after going undrafted in 2019. He made the initial 53-man roster as a rookie and progressively saw an uptick in playing time. By 2021, he had earned a spot in the starting lineup. However, the player known as Dewey was phased out in favor of Andrew Cisco the following year. But despite his demotion, he was still a valuable reserve when called upon and a key contributor in special teams.

In fact, Wingard's hard work helped him earn a three-year deal extension in 2023. The same year, he was named team captain by his teammates, showing just how much they value him. Unfortunately, the former Iowa Hawkeye suffered a knee injury last year that limited him to eight games.

Wingard is now entering a contract year and is surely looking to boost his stock before he becomes a free agent.

Andrew Wingard gives the Jaguars a depth piece at safety

So far, Andrew Wingard has had a strong offseason, picking up Trevor Lawrence on Day 4 of OTAs. However, he'll need to compete with Antonio Johnson and rookie Caleb Ransaw for the starting spot next to Eric Murray. There's a chance he won't come out on top, but if that's the case, he should still be a valuable depth piece on defense and a mainstay on special teams. Either way, he is giving his best regardless of the outcome.

"Just keep going. I just do my thing. I trust my instinct," Wingard told Jamal St. Cyr when asked how he's feeling this offseason. "I like to work out of my two mentality, which means self one is the ego side. Self two is the intuitive, trusting, all-knowing being. So I try to get into that being as much as possible, and it works out. And I just love playing football still. I love being out here and competing. And we're going to keep this thing going as long as we can."

At this point, nobody should bet against Andrew Wingard. While it's hard to see him once again earning a starting job, you cannot count him out based on his resiliency and track record.

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