Former UNC football star praised by ESPN, his OC ahead of rookie NFL season
Will Omarion Hampton be the next UNC football star in the NFL?
Ashton Jeanty stole headlines over the past two college football seasons, but right behind him was another star-studded running back in Chapel Hill: Omarion Hampton.
Starting 2023 behind British Brooks on UNC's depth chart, Hampton became the full-time starter by Week 3. Hampton formed a deadly offensive duo with Drake Maye during 2023, forcing opposing defenses to choose how they'd slow the Tar Heel stars down, then Hampton became the feature of North Carolina's offense in 2024.
With a distinguished college career that included 3,565 rushing yards 36 rushing touchdowns, Hampton's NFL suitors quickly took notice. The Los Angeles Chargers selected Hampton with this year's 22nd overall pick, pairing him with offseason acquisition Najee Harris.
Through roughly two months of offseason activities, Hampton is proving to be plenty worthy of his draft selection. Check out what ESPN and Hampton's offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, said about the rookie back from Chapel Hill:
"Hampton has been the talk of the Chargers' offseason activities, for his play on the field and his physical stature," ESPN's Kris Rihm wrote. "At Hampton's introductory news conference, coach Jim Harbaugh jokingly grabbed his 6-foot, 221-pound rookie by the shoulders and said to reporters, "That looks like a football player, right?"
"He's the total package," offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. "You don't see a lot of guys find a hole like he's doing right now."
Harris should be LA's Day One starter, rushing for over 1,000 yards in each of his first four NFL seasons, but Hampton could form an unstoppable 1-2 punch with his new backfield mate.
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