Class of 2026 four-star wide receiver Messiah Hampton will make the cross-country trek to the Pacific Northwest to play college football, as the New York athlete has committed to Oregon.
Hampton ranks as the No. 65 player overall in the 2026 cycle. He also ranks as the No. 1 prospect in the state of New York and No. 10 wide receiver in the class.
He announced his pledge to the Ducks on Friday, following an official visit to Eugene earlier this week. He made multiple trips to Oregon in the spring as well.
The James Monroe High School (Rochester, New York) standout received nearly 30 scholarship offers throughout his recruitment, but he has ultimately decided to play for head coach Dan Lanning, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks Will Stein, wide receivers coach/pass game coordinator Ross Douglass and the Ducks.
Development is important to Hampton, and he believes that is something the Oregon staff does very well.
“I’d say development, just watching the coaches coach — see how they develop players, see how they coach players, how they respond to mistakes, just how they coach them,” Hampton previously told Rivals when asked what he was hoping to learn on his official visits.
In addition to Oregon, Hampton also took official visits to Penn State, Miami (FL.) and Syracuse as well.
Outside of the schools already mentioned, Hampton collected scholarship offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Boston College, California, Florida State, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Texas, USC, West Virginia, Wisconsin and others.
The 6-foot-1, 198-pound Hampton is a three-level playmaker at wide receiver, and also makes a big impact as a returner on special teams. He recorded 1,900 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior at James Monroe in 2024, and earned first-team All-State honors for his efforts.
Hampton also competes in track and field. In the classroom, Hampton carries a 3.9 grade point average.
With Hampton’s pledge, Oregon’s 2026 class now grows to eight total commitments. All eight commits are rated as four-star prospects on Rivals.com.
