Coveted in-state safety gets Florida offer after recent visit
Florida football recently got a close look at three-star safety Ashton Hampton out of Tallahassee (Florida) Florida State University School during a visit to Gainesville last Saturday and came away impressed — impressed enough to offer the in-state recruit from enemy territory a scholarship.
It was the first visit the 6-foot-2-inch, 175-pound defensive back has made to the University of Florida which was a successful one, in his own words.
“It was a nice campus, they have nice facilities, and I got to take some pictures,” he told Swamp247. “I got to see their entire campus actually. I liked seeing their practice because it let me see how the coaches coach. It was really nice actually. I liked their new locker room, their new building they have for the team is really nice.”
Not only did the high school junior get a glimpse of the sights and sounds from around the storied campus but he also had a chance to get some significant face time with members of the football program’s staff. Hampton came into the weekend with an established relationship with new defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong — who spent time recruiting him while with the Alabama Crimson Tide — and came away with a much broader appreciation for Florida’s coaches.
“I was around Coach [CJ] Wilcox, Coach [Corey] Raymond, Coach [Billy] Napier, and Coach [Austin] Armstrong. With Coach Raymond, he was a great guy that has coached a lot of great DBs over the years from his time at LSU. Knowing that gives me a good idea of how he is as a man and a person. Catch Raymond said he really liked my length and he thought I was a smart DB.”
He also got a chance to spend some time with the head boss as well.
“I got to talk to him in his office before the visit finished up. He’s a really interesting person. He said he was going to offer me too. He said he wanted to reassure me that I have an offer from him too. He said he likes how I play both sides of the ball in high school, and he said he can tell I am a really smart player. He said I have a good family.”
Hampton is ranked No. 832 overall and No. 69 at safety nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has listed as an athlete and ranks him at Nos. 1,045 and 100, respectively. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine currently has Florida State in the lead for his services with a 45.9% chance of landing him while Florida, Clemson and Alabama trail behind at 21.0%, 18.0% and 1.4%, respectively.
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