One Oregon Ducks Coach Ranks As College Football’s Best Recruiters

The Oregon Ducks landed the No. 3 ranked 2026 recruiting class according to Rivals. In this class were a handful of elite secondary members.

New Oregon defensive coordinator Chris Hampton was Oregon’s safeties coach prior to his promotion and he left his footprint on this incoming class.

Chris Hampton Ranked Among Best Recruiters

Oregon Ducks Chris Hampton Recruiting Class of 2026 Safeties Coach Defensive Coordinator Dan Lanning Secondary Dan Lanning — New co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Chris Hampton, right, joins the first practice of spring for Oregon football as they prepare for the 2023 season. Eug 031623 Uo Spring Fb 06 | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

In the 2026 class, Oregon signed five-star safety Jett Washington, four-star cornerback Davon Benjamin, four-star safety Devin Jackson, four-star safety Xavier Lherisse, and four-star cornerback Azel Banag.

Hampton has got recognition for helping Oregon coach Dan Lanning bring in these talented recruits in the back end of the defense. Steve Wiltfong of Rivals ranked Hampton as one of the top 10 recruiters in college football for 2026. Here is Wiltfong’s full top 10.

Chris Hampton, Oregon Ducks
Mike Mickens, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Eric Henderson, USC Trojans
Alex Mirabal, Miami Hurricanes
Brian Hartline, Ohio State Buckeyes
Trooper Taylor, Texas A&M Aggies
Todd Hartley, Georgia Bulldogs
Tony Alford, Michigan Wolverines
Al Washington, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Frank Wilson, LSU Tigers

Top college football recruiters from the 2026 cycle, via @SWiltfong_✍️

Read: https://t.co/CypJs1cGME pic.twitter.com/wSxLh0G8QS
— Rivals (@Rivals) February 4, 2026

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Chris Hampton Promoted to Oregon Defensive Coordinator

After being on Lanning’s staff in Eugene since 2023 as a co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach, Hampton was promoted to defensive coordinator this offseason. Oregon’s prior defensive coordinator was Tosh Lupoi. He had held that position since 2022, the first season Lanning was Oregon’s coach.

Lupoi accepted the head coaching position with his alma mater, the California Golden Bears, leaving the defensive coordinator position for the Ducks vacant. Oregon decided to promote from within and made Hampton the next leader of the defensive side of the football.

He will have a lot of talent to work with. With that comes high expectations. Lupoi led the Ducks defense in 2025 and had them as one of the best units in the country. Oregon allowed just an average of 17.9 points per rankings, which ranked as the 4th fewest in the Big Ten. They also only allowed an average of 273.7 yards per game, which was the 7th fewest in the nation.

High Expectations

Oregon is coming off back-to-back seasons where they made the College Football Playoff. The most recent being their run to the semifinal before falling to the eventual national champion Indiana Hoosiers.

Oregon is once again on the list of national championship contenders in 2026. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Ducks have the fifth best odds to win the national championship at +900. The four teams above them are the Indiana Hoosiers, Texas Longhorns, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. All of them are tied for the best title odds at +700.

The Ducks got a huge boost when quarterback Dante Moore announced that he would be returning to Oregon to play another season. Moore was considered to be an early first round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he opted to polish his skills in college for one more year before making the jump to the pros.

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