Oregon’s Chris Hampton Pays Visit to Elite Two-Way Recruit

The Oregon Ducks paid a visit to class of 2027 recruit, athlete Tae Walden Jr. Walden is one of the top prospects in his class.

Tae Walden Jr. Player Profile

Oregon Ducks Chris Hampton Defensive Coordinator Recruit Tae Walden Jr. Athlete 2027 Recruiting Class Commit Dan Lanning — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tae Walden Jr. is a 6-2, 165 pound athlete out of Collierville, Tennessee. He is rated as a four star recruit and ranked as the No. 2 athlete in the class of 2027 according to the Rivals Industry Rankings. As a junior in 2025, Walden played both offense and defense.

On offense, Walden had 42 receptions for 912 yards and 10 touchdowns. On defense, he had 28 tackles, 17 pass break ups, and two interceptions.

Walden posted a picture on his X account of him with Oregon defensive coordinator Chris Hampton.

“Appreciate Coach Chris Hampton for stopping by earlier,” Walden posted with a Duck emoji.

Appreciate @Coach_CHampton for stopping by earlier 🦆!! pic.twitter.com/b16lkgTA9v
— Tae Walden Jr 4⭐️ (@Erikwaldenjr) April 28, 2026

Chris Hampton in as Oregon Ducks Defensive Coordinator

Chris Hampton has been with the Ducks since 2023 when he was hired as the safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator. He remained in that role on coach Dan Lanning’s staff through the 2025 season.

This offseason, Hampton was promoted to defensive coordinator after former Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi accepted the head coaching position with the California Golden Bears.

Hampton does have experience as a defensive coordinator from his time with the Tulane Green Wave in 2021 and 2022. Prior to that, he was a defensive backs coach for the Duke Blue Devils. Hampton’s college football coaching experience dates back to 2008 when he was a graduate assistant for Arkansas State.

As a player, Hampton played for the South Carolina Gamecocks as a defensive back from 2004-2007. In 36 games played, he had 106 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, two passes defended, and three forced fumbles. He won the Harold White Award for having the highest GPA on the team.

Oregon’s 2027 Recruiting Class

Oregon currently has 11 commits in their 2027 recruiting class. Per Rivals, their 2027 class is ranked No. 6 in the country. The headliner of the class is one of their most recent commits, quarterback Will Mencl. Mencl committed to the Ducks back on April 22. He is rated by Rivals as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in the class.

Recruiting has been a major strength of Oregon, especially under Lanning. The Ducks have consistently been able to land some of the highest ranked recruiting classes in the country and the same has been true over the past two cycles. Per Rivals, Oregon's 2025 and 2026 high school recruiting classes were ranked in the top four in the country.

This type of high level recruiting has shown up on the field as Oregon has made the College Football Playoff in back to back seasons. Oregon is also putting more players into the NFL than they ever have. In the past three NFL Drafts, 25 former Ducks have been selected.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google