Huskies Offer Florida Recruit Who Has Deep Family CFB Ties
Ashton Hampton is a touted wide receiver and a defensive back from Florida State University School, which is easily confused with nearby Florida State University.
These schools are seven miles apart in Tallahassee, Florida, with one considered a research school that is sponsored by the bigger one.
Both football teams answer to Seminoles and dress in garnet and gold uniforms.
Just the other day, FSU football coach Mike Norvell came over for a recruiting visit — and touched down in a helicopter bearing the school colors.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Hampton naturally has received a Seminoles scholarship offer, one coming to him way back in June 2022.
On Saturday, the University of Washington extended a scholarship to this long, lanky Class of 2024 recruit, presumably as a pass-catcher because Husky receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard did the honors.
However, Hampton's recruitment will not be all that cut and dried. He has 16 offers, also coming from Alabama, Clemson, Miami, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Purdue and Tennessee.
He'll get plenty of guidance on making a decision, too.
He's the son of Alonzo Hampton, who in December was named as the head coach for the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, moving over as an assistant from Louisiana-Monroe. His father previously served as a defensive analyst at Oregon in 2017 and had an NFL trial as a cornerback out of ULM with the Seattle Seahawks in the 1990s.
Then there's older brother AJ Hampton, who likewise in December made a big football move. The senior cornerback transferred to Tulane from Northwestern, where he was an All-Big Ten honorable-mention selection.
The latest Hampton is a 3-star recruit who plays on both sides of the ball, but appears destined to become a wide receiver on the college level.
This past fall, he caught 35 passes for 696 yards and a touchdown pass in nine different games for a FSUS team that won its first 14 outings before losing to Cocoa High 38-31 in overtime in the playoffs.
Yet Hampton can play defense, as well, finishing with 48 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 8 pass break-ups and an interception.
While he's no doubt a recruiting priority for Florida State, Hampton recently played a basketball game with Clemson football coach Dabo Sweeney showing up as a spectator. Hampton was part of a 3A state championship team in that sport as a sophomore.
Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Inside the Huskies stories — as soon as they’re published.
Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.
Find Inside the Huskies on Facebook by searching: Inside Huskies/FanNation at SI.com or https://www.facebook.com/dan.raley.12
Follow Dan Raley of Inside the Huskies on Twitter: @DanRaley1 or @UWFanNation or @DanRaley3
Have a question, direct message me on Facebook or Twitter.