Erik Campbell returned to Michigan to assist coaching receivers, but first things first as he worked on some redecorating in the position room.

Campbell, a former Michigan player who was the program’s receivers coach from 1995-2007, recruited and coached current receivers coach Ron Bellamy and built a long resume of high-performing receivers, including Braylon Edwards, Tai Streets, Mario Manningham, David Terrell, Jason Avant and Steve Breaston.

After spending the past six seasons at Bowling Green, Campbell, a 37-year coaching veteran who’s spent 31 years working with receivers and six years with running backs, decided to look for a new challenge. He was hired earlier this year by Michigan as assistant receivers coach under the 43-year-old Bellamy, who’s entering his fourth season coaching the receivers.

“They contacted me, asked if I’d be interested, and I didn’t hesitate,” Campbell, 59, said in an interview with The Detroit News. “One, it’s Michigan. Two, Bellamy. I mean, you can say it’s one of your sons, and I’m doing that to help him. If it was anybody else, I probably wouldn’t have. But because of him and the close relationship I’ve had with him since he was 17 years old, that’s why I did it, to help his career go.”

Michigan’s receivers struggled last season in part because of inconsistency at quarterback, but they underperformed as well. The Wolverines averaged 129.1 yards receiving, which ranked 130th nationally. The team’s leading receiver was tight end Colston Loveland, but the receivers didn’t stand out.

With that in mind, Campbell, with Bellamy’s blessing, redecorated as a way to revive the group. He took a wall in the position room and covered it with photos of the best receivers who played for the Wolverines. He wanted the current players to get a you-have-to-see-them-to-be-them vibe.

“You can see the boys kind of looking and marveling like, ‘Man, wow,’” Bellamy told reporters during spring practice. “You can see the boys take pride in that. It’s a collage of guys throughout the history of Michigan football. It’s like, ‘Who’s gonna be the next one of you guys in this room that enters that wall?’ And they’ll say, ‘Hmm,’ like, ‘Yeah, we’ve got to get to work to be on this wall.’ It’s pretty cool.”

That was the reaction Campbell was going for.

“I wanted to let them realize what this room is all about, that this is special room, and we always had special players and what they’ve got to shoot for,” Campbell said. “Just talking about it versus seeing it every day, now it’s, ‘Wow, I could be up on the wall too one day if take care of business.’ So that’s why we do that as a motivator and also it’s a pride factor. Let’s take more pride in the room, let’s go after that and become that All-American. Let’s become the Biletnikoff winner.”

He got a charge when he said that Bellamy had “The Crew” on the wall. That’s the name Campbell coined for the receivers in 1996.

“I wanted our guys to be closer,” Campbell said, describing why he came up with that name. “When I first got here, we weren’t as close, so I thought we gotta have a name for ourselves. Crew means everybody together working together. We’re for each other. That’s what started to get the guys closer and really understanding what this was all about.”

Since arriving earlier this year and going through spring practice, Campbell has adapted quickly to his new position.

“You want to run your own room, but I enjoy the role I’m in right now,” he said. “I definitely enjoy it. It’s the card I’m dealt with right now, so I’m going to enjoy it and work my butt off and let’s try to win a national championship.”

Campbell said he’s been impressed with how Bellamy runs position meetings, but he’s laughed to himself a few times listening to Bellamy tell the players things that ring a bell to him.

“Some of the things he’s telling the guys are things he heard from me before, and I’m thinking, ‘So you did listen,’” Campbell said, laughing. “When you’re coaching, you never think they listen. Then he’s regurgitating some of those things, and I’m like, ‘Oh, wow, that sounds familiar.’ That’s the amazing part about it. You feel good about that, and you see you impacted guys’ lives. That’s the fruit of your labor as coaches.”

Before taking the job, Campbell and Bellamy discussed how the relationship would work. After all, Bellamy had been the kid he recruited and coached, and now he’s the boss. Campbell asked what Bellamy expected of him, and they had a frank conversation.

“And that’s why it’s great being with him because like a dad, you can say anything you want to say,” Campbell said. “I have freedom to speak my mind, and if I disagree with something, we can talk about it. I just help out and give suggestions here and there when needed. We have that free dialogue, and that’s what’s great about it. No ego is involved. I’ve been a receiver coach for 37 years, so he values the comments or suggestions I give. Because of our relationship, that’s what makes it work.”

Bellamy said Campbell — whose nickname is “Soup” — is a “detail-oriented guy.” Junior receiver Semaj Morgan said this spring that he loves the addition of Campbell, who recruited him while at Bowling Green.

“I’m glad he’s here,” Morgan said. “He brings that old school that we need. We’re a real young and goofy group and Coach Soup is always going to reel us back in. He’s not gonna play at all. He’s been in this game 30-plus years so anything you can get from him is a gem.”

With the addition of freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, the nation’s top recruit, and Indiana transfer Donaven McCulley, a big-body receiver the group has lacked, along with Morgan, Fredrick Moore and others, Campbell believes the receivers will produce considerably more this season. That’s what he’s hoping to help change as Bellamy’s assistant.

“I want Ron to be able to have the success I had and want to help in any kind of way to become that or surpass me,” Campbell said. “I think we‘re building that right now. We’re starting to get the elite quarterbacks, and quarterbacks and receivers are hand in glove, I call it. I was successful because I had a lot of great quarterbacks when I coached so we’re starting to get that back.”

With the right pieces in place, Campbell notices “The Crew” establishing itself.

“I see it coming slowly but surely,” he said. “Sometimes it takes one guy at a time, but it’s coming. We’ll keep building the room from the recruiting process, and with the young guys coming in and developing, I think this room could be special one day.

“We got a little spoiled (when Campbell was previously at Michigan), but we can get that back again. That’s what we’re striving for. That’s what it’s all about, that when you line up, every guy you put on the field is an NFL player. That’s what we’re trying to get to.”