Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) talks with Jaguars Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile, center and Jaguars Secondary Coach Ron Mills during an NFL training camp second session at the Miller Electric Center, Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What Has Anthony Campanile Seen From Jaguars' Defense?

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By Scott Salomon | Last updated Jul 30, 2025 11:30 AM ET

Tuesday at the Jacksonville Jaguars training camp the temperature was hot and so was the play of the defense. The sixth day of practice, the second one in pads, brought hard hits and aggressive play which made defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile a proud coach.

"I thought we were communicating well, flying around,” Campanile said. "We have a lot of work to do. What I do like is I like the physicality today and we're starting to get a good culture."

The Jaguars worked out in 90 degree weather and worked on individual drills, 1-on-1 pass rushing and a full contact team practice to culminate the session.

The defense also worked on late-game situations and worked on their "play style" according to Campanile. Middle linebacker Foyesade Oluokun seems to like Campanile's approach to how he runs the practices. He also said his intensity is infectuous.

"He'll pick you right up," Oluokun said. "You don't want to let him down because you know he's going to call you out on it. I like that mentality. I think a defense or a team kind of takes a little bit of the personality of a coach, and I've said that many times. I like the personality he brings to the building."

The Jaguars defense did not hold up well last season. Perhaps that is why head coach Liam Coen was hired and entrusted to reshape all three units, including special teams. The Jaguars ranked 31st in yards allowed and 28th in points allowed. They also ranked dead last in takeaways with nine.

Campanile likes where the defensive unit is right now and said they are trending in the right direction.

"We're right about where we thought we'd be," Campanile said. "We have a lot of work to do, but the guys are really putting in a lot of great work. In the meetings, they're locked in. When you're in front of the room looking at them, everybody's locked in. Everybody's really detailed.

"They're trying to do it out here on the field. They're really doing a good job communicating and playing with good technique and good body position. To me, that's really what we're looking for and they're giving us that."

The Jaguars will not practice on Wednesday as they have a mandatory day off. They will practice Thursday morning in helmets. They will also hold a scrimmage Friday night at EverBank Stadium.

"We have to keep doing what we're doing," Campanile said. "We have to keep playing with a lot of passion and a lot of great communication every day. As long as we do that, we're going to be on course for where we'd like to be."

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This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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