During his three seasons on the Oregon Ducks‘ coaching staff, Chris Hampton‘s recruiting prowess has been known. But since being promoted to defensive coordinator with Tosh Lupoi taking the California Golden Bears head coaching job, Hampton’s efforts have been on display even more.
He, along with other Oregon coaches, have been busy over the past two months.
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Of course, there was planning for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal and semifinal games, but recruiting was also on the top of Hampton and everyone else on the staff’s minds. Once the season concluded, the coaches went full bore into adding the next batch of talented Ducks, flying across the country on little sleep to get face time with coveted recruits — both in 2026 and 2027 recruiting class as well as the transfer portal.
All of it, along with a litany of raving comments from recruits, led On3 to list Hampton among the top recruiters in the country during the 2026 cycle.
It’s safe to say that the efforts paid off, as the Ducks finished with the No. 2 recruiting class for 2026, per 247 Sports, and made strong additions in needed spots in the transfer portal that should aid them in making a national title run next season and beyond.
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Specifically on defense, Hampton had a hand in adding Minnesota star safety Koi Perich, who should be a difference-maker from Day 1. Former Ohio State and four-star cornerback Aaron Scott Jr. was also added, who should add even more talent to that position group.
As part of the 2026 class, the defense is set to add five-star edge rusher Anthony “Tank” Jones and five-star safety Jett Washington, two expected stars and tentpole players for the Ducks defense. Nine four-stars defenders were also added to Hampton’s defense, representing arguably the most talented defensive haul that the Oregon program has ever seen in one recruiting cycle.
For those reasons, Hampton more than deserves to be listed among the best recruiters in the country.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Ducks DC Chris Hampton touted by among top recruiters in 2026 cycle
