It’s not very often that a football player decides to sign in mid-June, but Petal’s Will Hampton recognized he was on the verge of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Hampton, who graduated from Petal this spring, made the late unorthodox decision on Friday to sign with the Naval Academy.
“The Naval Academy got on me late in my recruiting process,” Hampton said. “I had some Sun Belt stuff going on and some smaller schools like Nicholls State and Central Arkansas. I kind of wanted to go JUCO so I could do a year and try to get out and then play somewhere bigger. It kind of hit me that this is the kind of opportunity that you can’t pass up as far as beyond football. It took me a while to get to that realization, but this is where I’m truly meant to be.”
The offensive tackle’s future seemed to be decided as he had already signed with Jones College back in February, but by telling the Naval Academy no – he began to feel a change of heart.
“Before signing day, I called up the coaches at the academy and said that I was going to go in a different direction,” Hampton said. “It was kind of a family connection. I had kind of grown close to them, so it was hard to do that. I realized that there’s a reason that it’s probably so difficult. It just didn’t sit right with me.
“Up there, I will be playing tackle, which is the same at Petal. They’ll be running a lot of the same stuff that we do with gap scheme, outside zone tossing, so I think that will be helpful.”
Standing at 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, Hampton landed on multiple all-state teams last football season.
“He is very powerful and very explosive,” Petal coach Marcus Boyles said. “He has great feet and is a student of the game. He watches film. He’s one of those guys that when he comes to the sideline, he’ll tell you what’s happening. He is almost a coach on the field.
“He is a great young man. Getting into the Naval Academy shows what kind of student he is. This is an eight or nine year commitment. He just didn’t have time to process it. He’s a great young man with a great family. A great football player. He is a leader and is going to do great things.”
Hampton was a three-year starter for the Panthers, and this past season helped Petal reached the playoffs for the first time in two seasons and post an 8-5 record. The future naval cadet will report to the Naval Academy on June 26.
“I’m going to spend time with family and friends and try to make the most,” said Hampton on his plans for the coming weeks.
“Playing at Petal was amazing, especially when Coach Boyles came in for my senior year. We made a little run in the playoffs and went out in the second round. It was not easy to go out in the playoffs because no one wants to lose. But I had not played in a playoff game as a three-year starter. Two of the years I had started before we didn’t even touch the playoffs. Being able to end this chapter in a good situation helped. The coaches at Petal, I will always remember them. They helped make Petal what it was for me.”
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