Messiah Hampton

Updated September 27, 2026 | Sources: ESPN box scores; USC Athletics box score; GoDucks.com

At USC (Sept 26, 2026): Hampton was in Oregon's starting lineup for the Big Ten opener, a true freshman starting in the Coliseum because Jeremiah McClellan is out with a broken foot (see the injury tracker). He caught 5 passes for 40 yards, and the biggest was a 21-yard catch from Dylan Raiola on 3rd and 5. Sources: USC Athletics official box score (starting lineup); ESPN box score and play-by-play (Sept 26, 2026). Portland State is where the job opened. McClellan warmed up on Sept 18 and did not play, and Hampton took the snaps and did not give them back: a game-high six catches for 71 yards and the first two touchdowns of his career, a 7-yard grab from Dante Moore late in the second quarter and a 17-yarder from Raiola in the third. He played 49 snaps that night, the most of any Oregon receiver, after 13 at Oklahoma State. Through five games he has 17 catches for 156 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sources: ESPN box scores (Sept 12 to 26, 2026); snap counts, Ducks Wire / Yahoo Sports (Sept 14 and Sept 19, 2026).

Week 4 at USC, Sept 26, 2026

5 catches for 40 yards with Jeremiah McClellan out.

ESPN box score and play-by-play, Sept 26, 2026

17-156-2

2026, through UCLA

Catches, yards, TDs

Started

at USC, Sept 26

Official box score

6-71-2

vs Portland State

His first two career TDs

4-Star

Recruiting Rating

Consensus No. 1 in New York, 2026

“

If you are good enough, you are old enough.

Dan Lanning, December 2025

On playing young talent immediately

How He Got the Job

Oregon's third receiver spot opened because McClellan got hurt. He warmed up before Portland State, then watched in street clothes with a boot on his left foot and on crutches. On Monday, Sept 21, Dan Lanning said he "broke his foot there in pregame," and Oregon's availability reports listed him out for USC (see the injury tracker). Behind Evan Stewart and Dakorien Moore, Hampton is the one who got the start at USC. Fellow freshman Gatlin Bair, who played 48 snaps against Portland State, also played at USC and did not catch a pass.

The Honest Caveat

Portland State is an FCS team and Oregon won 84-0, so the two touchdowns that night prove less than they look. USC was the real test, and the honest answer is that it was modest: 5 catches, 40 yards, a long of 21. What it did prove is where the staff's trust is. A true freshman started a road Big Ten game, and on 3rd and 5 the ball went to him. Our read: the job is his while McClellan is out, and the yards per catch (8.0 at USC) is the number to grow.

Before Eugene

Hampton came out of James Monroe High School in Rochester, New York, a consensus four-star recruit and the consensus top prospect in the state in the 2026 class. As a senior he caught 62 passes for 1,224 yards and 13 touchdowns and helped Monroe go 12-0 and win the school's first state title, in Class B. He left as the school's all-time receiving leader with 2,300 career yards, and he also played free safety.

Watch List for 2026

1

Whether he keeps the start with McClellan still out and no return date announced

2

Yards per catch: 8.0 at USC. Getting open deeper is the next step

3

Third-down targets: he converted a 3rd and 5 at USC

4

How the snaps split with Gatlin Bair once the post-bye snap counts are published

Frequently Asked Questions

Messiah Hampton is a true freshman wide receiver for Oregon, No. 15, out of James Monroe High School in Rochester, New York. He started at USC on Sept 26 and against UCLA on Oct 10, 2026, and has 17 catches for 156 yards and 2 touchdowns through five games.

He started at USC on Sept 26 alongside Evan Stewart and Dakorien Moore (USC Athletics official box score), with Jeremiah McClellan out with a broken foot. Oregon does not publish a depth chart; ours is on the roster page, and McClellan's status is on the injury tracker.

Two, both against Portland State on Sept 18, 2026: a 7-yard catch from Dante Moore and a 17-yard catch from Dylan Raiola. They were the first two of his college career.

Sources: ESPN box scores; USC Athletics box score; GoDucks.com. This page covers on-field performance and publicly available recruiting data only.

Messiah Hampton on video this season

Players · Sept 30 · 7:26

Messiah Hampton: "Grinding and trusting my process."

Bye week, ahead of UCLA.

Via GoDucks

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Hampton started at USC. Does he keep the job when McClellan is back?

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