Oregon's Chris Hampton Gets Candid About 5-Star Ducks Safety Jett Washington

EUGENE – The Oregon Ducks received big contributions from true freshman cornerback Brandon Finney Jr. during the 2025 season. Oregon is set to add another top recruit to the secondary, who has the potential to step up in his first season.

Ducks defensive coordinator Chris Hampton raved about Oregon five-star safety commit Jett Washington on National Signing Day. Washington is part of a loaded 2026 recruiting class joining the Ducks in the fall.

What Defensive Coordinator Chris Hampton’s Comments Reveal

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Hampton appeared on Duck Insider on National Signing Day and called Washington a “unicorn” because of how he plays.

"He's got the best height-weight-speed combination in all of high school football," Hampton said on Duck Insider on Wednesday. "This is obviously Kobe Bryant's nephew. His dad was actually a running back who played in the NFL. Violent hitter, great ball skills, great basketball player, great athlete. This guy has a big-time future. He's a unicorn."

The 6-5, 205-pound safety is ranked the No. 1 player at his position in the 2026 recruiting class by 247Sports. Washington starred for Bishop Gorman High School, recording 48 tackles and four interceptions as a senior.

Washington’s arrival comes at a good time for Oregon. Ducks coach Dan Lanning did add a top transfer safety in Koi Perich in the offseason, but he also lost safety Dillon Thieneman to the NFL Draft. Perich will have two years of eligibility remaining, like Thieneman did when he transferred to Oregon.

But if Perich thrives in the Ducks’ system as Thieneman did, he will be eligible for the 2027 NFL Draft and might be another one-and-done player for Oregon. Washington can’t declare for the next level until 2029, so he could be the program’s long-term answer at safety.

Washington was ranked a five-star for a reason. Hampton’s comments just go to show that the coaching staff has belief in the incoming safety's potential to star for the program.

MORE: Oregon Coach Dan Lanning’s National Signing Day Comments Speak Volumes

MORE: Three Oregon Ducks Freshmen Who Might Steal the Spotlight

MORE: Oregon Offensive Coordinator Doesn’t Hold Back on 5-Star Duck Commits

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If You’re Good Enough, You’re Old Enough

Even though he’ll be a true freshman in the fall, there’s no age requirement to playing a notable role for the Ducks. Finney proved that, as well as several players on offense in 2025.

Lanning also appeared on Duck Insider on National Signing Day. He spoke about the opportunity for true freshmen to play significant roles again in 2026.

“There’s always gonna be that opportunity. And I think every guy that walks in this room, they say, okay, I just want to know, am I gonna have the opportunity to go make an impact? And it's up to you, and then us as coaches, it's we have to take ownership of that as well,” Lanning said.

“As far as getting guys ready to play, I think that's something we've shown that we can do here, and guys can start to embrace the role that they have,” he continued. “And then as you come in, your role grows, right? And you saw that with guys on our team last year, that the role might have started off smaller at the beginning of the season, they grew throughout the season.”

Oregon safety Aaron Flowers started alongside Thieneman in 2025 and is expected to start alongside Perich in 2026. Washington has the opportunity to challenge veteran safeties in competition for the first player into the game after the starters. Starting positions aren’t guaranteed, either, so there’s a chance Washington could shock fans by earning the starting nod as a true freshman.