The Jacksonville Jaguars are 10-4 and enjoying a surge late in the 2025 season. Trevor Lawrence's improved play after a slow start has certainly played a role, but the impact that defensive coordinator Anthony Campanline has had cannot be overstated.
Campanile, a first-time coordinator, has his unit rolling. And just recently, a veteran Jaguars player revealed the reason for his success.
Eric Murray discusses Anthony Campanile's success coaching the Jaguars defense
Eric Murray met with the local media and said that Anthony Campanile connects with players on a personal level, noting that he cares about them beyond the football field.
"He's very personable in terms of how he coaches the game and how he feels about people," Murray told reporters after Week 15. "He's not afraid to have positive words of affirmation, which I feel is rare in this business. People always judge a player based on what they do, but he judges you based on the person you are and how you grew up, and taking that and expressing that on the field."
Murray continued, "A lot of us have, some of us have tough backgrounds, some of us don't. But if you do, you have been tough all your life, so exercise that on the field and do it to the best of your ability. So I think that's what's put him in the conversation."
There's no doubt that Campanile's approach is paying off. With him leading the way, safety Antonio Johnson, cornerback Montaric Brown, and linebacker Devin Lloyd are having banner seasons. Similarly, Josh Hines-Allen has bounced back from a somewhat underwhelming 2024.
The Jacksonville defense currently ranks 10th in points allowed and total yards despite the fact that they gave up a combined 65 points in the losses to the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks in consecutive weeks. Similarly, their pass rush has come to life after a slow start to the season.
Before the BYE, the Jags had only eight sacks. In the past seven games, they've tallied 20, and Campanile is responsible for the turnaround. Below are Murray's remarks.
“He’s not afraid to have positive words of affirmation… People always judging a player based on what they do, but he judges you based on the person you are.”
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) December 15, 2025
Eric Murray on Coach Campanile’s personability as a coach. pic.twitter.com/cD5lu8Ujas
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The Jaguars could lose Anthony Campanile in the next coaching cycle
Anthony Campanile has been a breath of fresh air for the Jacksonville defense when you take into account that his predecessor, Ryan Nielsen, rubbed players the wrong way with his arrogant demeanor. Moreover, the Jags had virtually the same players last year and ranked near the cellar in most meaningful defensive categories with Nielsen at the helm.
It's also worth noting that Campanile's been so good at his job that he's already garnering consideration for head-coach vacancies in the next hiring cycle. If Jacksonville continues to have success and makes a deep playoff run, his stock will only keep going up.
The bottom line is that head coach Liam Coen and the Jaguars hit it out of the ballpark when they hired Anthony Campanile. And based on Eric Murray's comments, players are certainly glad he's running the show.