McLaughlin: Where Oregon’s 2026 Class Stands After Landing 4-Star WR Messiah Hampton
By SPENCER McLAUGHLIN
Contributor, 750 The Game
Oregon picks up 4-star WR Messiah Hampton
Oregon’s recruiting class has climbed back inside the top 40 nationally on the heels of landing a top 10 WR in the class.
That’s not a sentence that makes loads of sense, but it’s still only June. I expect Oregon to land another top 10 class, though there’s more work to be done than at this point in years past. Let’s start with the player the Ducks just landed.
Messiah Hampton is one of the top 10 WRs in the class of 2026, hailing from New York. He’s the top player in the state and will move over 2,700 miles to Eugene to begin his college career. Hampton is 6’1” and 180lbs, but plays much sturdier than that. His highlight reel is an impressive collection of 3-level playmaking. The league he competed in isn’t known for being littered with future high level college players, but his size and potential is immense.
He reminds me a bit of a couple of former great Duck wideouts. Josh Huff and Bralon Addison both had outstanding careers. Huff had over 1,100 yards in 2013 and Addison compiled consecutive seasons over 800 yards. They were both a bit shorter than Hampton at a touch under 6 feet tall, but the playing styles are similar.
Hampton has the size and strength to play on the outside while also being involved around the line of scrimmage. His ability to create yards after the catch is only amplified when he works in the punt return game. He’s a tough guy to bring down and while still needing a bit of refinement, can be a great wideout for the Ducks.
The most notable part about this commitment is that it’s the first for new WR coach Ross Douglas. Hampton was also targeted by Syracuse and Miami, but will instead venture to the west coast. Ross Douglas took over for Junior Adams, who left to take the same job with the Dallas Cowboys. Adams redefined the expectations for recruiting wideouts to the Ducks, bringing through names like Troy Franklin and Tez Johnson and turning them into NFL Draft picks.
This is a good start for Douglas, but I’m still waiting to see how Douglas will match up on the trail compared to his predecessor. Douglas recruited Hampton to Syracuse when he was there on staff, and he’s the top player in the state of New York. Oregon will certainly land other wideouts this cycle that raise his profile more than this one. No recruitment is a layup, but it was ready for Douglas the moment he got to the Ducks.
The other big picture element is that Messiah Hampton is the first commitment the Ducks have picked up in the month of June. They’ve been busy the last couple of weeks with high-profile and a high volume of visitors. Names like 5-star safety Jhett Washington and 5-star QB Ryder Lyons have both been crystal balled to the Ducks.
Will Hampton be a positive blip on the radar, or the start of a snowball of momentum?
Tune in next week to find out, I suppose.
Spencer McLaughlin is an Oregon Ducks football contributor to 750 The Game. He also hosts the “Locked On Oregon Ducks” and “Locked On College Football” podcasts and has work featured throughout the season here.