Aeryn Hampton is happy with his UT pledge despite interest from others
Daingerfield’s round-two playoff opponent, Hooks, hung 92 points on its first-round opponent. As such, Daingerfield was motivated and focused, and they flipped the script with an impressive 33-6 win. Texas commitment Aeryn Hampton, as he always does, played a big part in Daingerfield’s success. The two-way standout was near the 100-yard mark as a receiver and helped shut down Hooks’ offense when he was on defense.
“We came in with intensity, that we can’t be messed with. We just got it done,” Hampton said.
Part of that motivation was built on a loss to end the regular season that cost Daingerfield the district crown. In the first two weeks of the playoffs, the Tigers have outscored their opponents 81-6.
“We lost the district championship so that humbled us,” Hampton said. “The first-round game, it was just a wake-up call to everybody. The second round, last Friday, we had to show everybody that we’re a team to be reckoned with.”
With the season winding down, Hampton said he doesn’t have any individual areas of focus. Instead, his only goal is to stack wins on top of each other and bring home a championship.
“I just want to win state. That’s all. I don’t really care about individual awards,” Hampton said. “I just want to win state with my guys.”
Hampton’s recruitment has followed an interesting storyline. A one-time Baylor commitment, he would eventually commit to Texas in February of last year, only to decommit nine months later. In July of this year, Hampton re-committed to Texas and said his relationship with the UT staff is as strong as it’s ever been.
“I talk to coach (Blake) Gideon probably every day,” Hampton said. “We’re locked in. I talked to coach Jackson before and after the game, talked to coach Sark . about a week ago.”
The plan at Texas is for Hampton to start off at safety while also getting some work at wide receiver and in the return game. Hampton says he has no preference and will do whatever helps get him on the field the quickest. He and Gideon’s conversations at this point aren’t as much about football as they are about life in general.
“Me and coach Gideon have a relationship like where he just checks up on me, sees how I’m doing,” Hampton said. “It’s the kind of relationship you want with a coach. He tells me how it’ll be when I get there.”
When he recommitted to Texas, Hampton had narrowed his focus down to the Longhorns and Alabama. Bama does continue to reach out, as do programs like Oregon. Despite that interest, Hampton says he’s happy with his Texas decision.
“It was the atmosphere out there. I always knew where I wanted to go all along,” Hampton said. “When I reopened (his recruitment), I just wanted to see if it was the right decision for me. I just wanted to take my visits to compare.”
A four-star prospect, Hampton checks in at No. 151 on the Rivals250.