Oregon officially announces hiring of Chris Hampton as safeties coach, co-DC
The coaching staff move was reported over a week ago, but the Oregon Ducks made it official on Wednesday morning, announcing the hiring of Chris Hampton as the new co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach in Eugene.
Hampton will be replacing Matt Powledge, who took the defensive coordinator job for the Baylor Bears in late December of 2022.
Hampton comes to Eugene from Tulane, where he was the defensive coordinator in 2022. He spent four seasons (2016-19) as Tulane’s defensive backs coach before leaving to be the cornerback’s coach at Duke in 2020.
“I am excited to work for and represent the University of Oregon,” Hampton said, per an Oregon press release. “I am extremely thankful for the opportunity provided by Coach Lanning and the Oregon administration. I believe in what Coach Lanning and the rest of the staff are building in Eugene. I can’t wait to get to work with the student-athletes and help Oregon compete for championships.”
Welcome to Oregon, @Coach_CHampton!
He officially joins @CoachDanLanning's staff as the Ducks' new co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach 🦆 #GoDucks
📝 https://t.co/dkpBWZXrMD pic.twitter.com/Nbh9wB6zvn
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) January 25, 2023
Tulane saw major improvement under Hamton, moving up 82 spots to No. 32 in the scoring defense (22.2 PPG) in 2022, and 55 spots up to No. 46 in total defense (360.4 YPG). The passing defense also went from No. 115 in 2020 prior to Hampton’s return to No. 37 in 2022 (208.1 YPG).
Before starting his coaching career, Hampton was a four-year letterman and two-year starter at safety for the South Carolina Gamecocks from 2004-2007. In his career, Hampton had 106 total tackles, 6.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 3 INT, and two PBU. He also won the team’s Harold White Award, given to the player with the highest GPA on the roster.
List
5 things to know about Oregon's newest defensive coach Chris Hampton
