Oregon freshman WR Messiah Hampton emerging late in fall camp

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Rochester is a long way from Eugene. Still, the Oregon Ducks made the trip out east to New York last year to pull in the state's top recruit: wide receiver Messiah Hampton. The state isn't known for a competitive high school football landscape, but the Ducks still saw the young wideout rising above.

A snappy route runner with great hands, enough speed to play inside or out, and a dynamic ability to play a variety of roles — that sounds like the perfect fit in Oregon's offense.

Hampton made the trip of more than 2,700 miles to Autzen Stadium, joining an Oregon receivers room littered with five-star talent and experience. A four-star recruit, Hampton didn't receive all of the eyes that fellow five-star freshman wideouts Jalen Lott and Gatlin Bair received, but that hasn't stopped him from becoming a weapon in fall camp.

Albeit a highly touted prospect across the country, Hampton is a wideout the Ducks have had their eye on for a while, thanks to wide receivers coach Ross Douglas' connection to the Empire State.

"From my understanding," wideout Evan Stewart said. "(Hampton) and Coach Ross have always had a good relationship, dating back to when he was at Syracuse. So Coach Ross has been a good person this year to keep his development going.”

He turned in an impressive spring, capped by a spring game in which he caught three of his five targets for 44 yards, highlighted by a 33-yard reception over a defender on a pass from Dylan Raiola. Through the summer and fall, Hampton has remained involved in the rotation out wide. While the big three of Stewart, Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan figure to remain Oregon's top receiving options, Hampton has quietly worked himself into contention for the fourth or fifth spot.

It's a loaded room with freshmen who are expected to compete, but the 6-foot-1 receiver from across the country hasn't been burdened with expectations of producing for the offense right away. Hampton's play, however, speaks volumes and could lead to a healthy role to start the season.

"I think for anybody, at any position, Messiah included, the separation factor is simply what you do on the field," offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer said. "It's not, ‘Hey, we got to see you go do this or see you go do that,’ right? For a lot of people, it's ‘Do the other 10 guys on the field trust you?’ (If) you're going to be in there, you’ve got to make plays. Messiah's come along. He's had a really great last week, and I think he's doing some really good things for us.”

The art to winning a role as a freshman in a talent offense like Oregon's isn't always about making the splashy plays in practice or having the five-star pedigree. Sometimes, it comes down to who brings their toolbox the most often and simply does what they're supposed to do.

That can make life easier on Mehringer, who has the task of somehow feeding all of Oregon's weapons this season. If Hampton proves he can do whatever is asked on the practice field against Oregon's elite defense, why shouldn't he get a chance to do the same on Saturdays?

Stewart, entering his fifth year of college ball, has seen plenty of freshmen wideouts come through during his time at both Oregon and Texas A&M. He understands the process isn't as simple as running a route and catching the ball. Hampton is facing a level of competition in practice that he never saw under the Friday night lights in Rochester.

It can be a long process to adjust. Since arriving in the spring, Stewart has only continued to gain confidence in Hampton as part of the offense.

“He's maturing a lot," Stewart said. "I mean, I already knew he was kind of going to be a good player for us in the spring, coming early in winter workouts. Him and Hudson Lewis, they're like a dynamic duo. They work together, like they're workhorses for sure. And Messiah just came in and put down his head and worked every single day."

Depth is a privilege in college football, and Hampton is a great example of Oregon's national recruiting efforts paying off. A freshman doesn't have to step on the field for the first snap of the season to make an impact, rather pushing others in practice and developing a mentality and reputation off on Saturdays in a role that could grow as the season progresses.

After wrapping up the team's second and final scrimmage before the start of the season, Hampton is in a position to contribute in the rotation this season, overcoming the enormous odds and resumes in front of him after a lengthy trip to Eugene.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon freshman WR Messiah Hampton emerging late in fall camp

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