Cypress Lake High grad to play in Super Bowl LI

FORT MYERS, Fla. A Cypress Lake High School alum will be making his Super Bowl debut with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

After graduating from high school, linebacker De’Vondre Campbell played at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. He was then recruited by the University of Minnesota, where he helped the Gophers reach three bowl games.

On April 30, 2016, Campbell was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round as the 115th overall pick.

The six-foot-three, 234-pound linebacker recorded 48 tackles in 11 regular-season games with the Falcons.

Jurrel Simmons, Campbell’s former track and football coach at Cypress Lake, described him as a raw player with a lot of talent.

“He always had the size and he always had the potential because he was willing to learn everything,” he said. “He goes to Hutchinson off a whim. He got up there and the coaches were surprised that he was even at a junior college…he did his thing and turned that into something great.”

The Falcons are looking to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history while the Patriots hope to clinch a fifth trophy.