Omarion Hampton

Omarion Hampton
Hampton with North Carolina in 2024
North Carolina Tar Heels – No. 28
PositionRunning back
ClassJunior
Personal information
Born: (2003-03-16) March 16, 2003 (age 21)
Forest City, North Carolina, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career history
CollegeNorth Carolina (2022–present)
High schoolCleveland (Clayton)
Career highlights and awards

Omarion Hampton (born March 16, 2003) is an American football running back for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Early life

Hampton was born on March 16, 2003, in Forest City, North Carolina and grew up in Clayton, North Carolina.[1][2] He attended Cleveland High School in Clayton and played football as a running back from 2018 to 2021.[3] After rushing for 335 yards as a freshman, he had his best season as a sophomore in 2019, being one of the best running backs nationally as he totaled 2,402 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns; he ran for over 100 yards in all but one of their games.[4][5]

Hampton ran for 685 yards and 13 touchdowns in the spring 2021 season as a junior, although he missed significant time due to an ankle injury.[4][6] As a senior, he ran for 1,949 yards and 39 touchdowns (having scored a total of 43 touchdowns), averaging 162.4 rushing yards-per-game as he helped Cleveland reach the state playoffs with a record of 11–1.[7] He was named the Gatorade North Carolina Football Player of the Year and the winner of the state's Mr. Football award.[3][8] Ranked a four-star recruit, he committed to play college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels.[9]

College career

Hampton saw immediate playing time as a true freshman in 2022, recording 101 rushing yards and two touchdowns in his collegiate debut against the Florida A&M Rattlers, becoming the first true freshman for North Carolina to run for over 100 yards in a game since Charlie Justice in 1946.[10] Two games later, he ran for 110 yards and scored game-tying and go-ahead touchdowns against the Georgia State Panthers, being named Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Rookie of the Week.[11] He finished the season having appeared in 13 games, four as a starter, and tallied 88 rush attempts for 401 yards and six touchdowns, in addition to six receptions for 40 yards and another score.[12]

In the second game of the 2023 season, Hampton ran 26 times for 234 yards and three touchdowns against Appalachian State, being named the Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week.[13][14] He continued his strong performance throughout the season, finishing the season with 1,504 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. For his performance, he earned first-team All-ACC honors, and was named a finalist for the Doak Walker Award. Hampton was also named to several All-America teams, being named a second team All-America by the AP and Sporting News, and first-team by the Walter Camp Football Foundation. In the Tar Heels' season-ending loss to West Virginia in the Duke's Mayo Bowl, he passed Elijah Hood for second-most rushing yards in a single Tar Heel season.

Statistics

North Carolina Tar Heels
Season Games Rushing Receiving
GP GS Att Yards Avg TD Rec Yards Avg TD
2022 13 3 88 401 4.6 6 6 40 6.7 1
2023 13 11 253 1,504 5.9 15 29 222 7.7 1
2024 12 12 281 1,660 5.9 15 38 373 9.8 2
Career 38 26 622 3,565 5.7 36 73 635 8.7 4

References

  1. ^ Conley, Jacob (October 12, 2023). "Forest City native Hampton stars for UNC football team". thedigitalcourier.com. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  2. ^ "Extra Points: The Big O". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Wertz, Langston Jr. (December 10, 2021). "Cleveland High's Hampton named Mr. Football in NC". The Herald-Sun. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ a b Lyttle, Steven (August 22, 2021). "Cleveland's Hampton, a star commitment for UNC, is as humble as he is good". The Charlotte Observer. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ Pope, Jonas, IV (January 21, 2020). "Cleveland's Omarion Hampton draws the attention of NC State". The News and Observer. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Open access icon
  6. ^ Welter, Pat (February 16, 2022). "Injury and tragedy taught Omarion Hampton not to take opportunity for granted at UNC". WRAL-TV.
  7. ^ Fowler, Chapel (November 23, 2021). "4-star UNC football commit Omarion Hampton ends high school career. Where do his stats rank historically?". The Fayetteville Observer.
  8. ^ Koh, Michael (December 7, 2021). "UNC Football Commit Omarion Hampton Named NC Player of the Year". WCHL.
  9. ^ McConnell, Brighton (July 22, 2021). "UNC Football Lands Four-Star, In-State Running Back Recruit". WCHL.
  10. ^ Batten, Sammy (August 31, 2022). "UNC football has history of great RB duos. Omarion Hampton, George Pettaway next in line". The Fayetteville Observer.
  11. ^ Smith, Adam (August 17, 2023). "Omarion Hampton Works Head-On In UNC Backfield Race". 247Sports.
  12. ^ "Omarion Hampton". North Carolina Tar Heels.
  13. ^ Pearson, Zack (September 9, 2023). "Omarion Hampton has HUGE night for Tar Heels". USA Today.
  14. ^ "Hampton Named Doak Walker Award National Running Back Of The Week". North Carolina Tar Heels. September 12, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.