Report: Oregon to promote safeties coach Chris Hampton following departure of Demetrice Martin
Dan Lanning has reportedly opted to promote several Oregon staffers in order to fill the latest void on his coaching staff.
On Tuesday, Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports reported that the Ducks’ safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator, Chris Hampton, will be promoted to defensive backs coach. The report comes after Oregon cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin left UO to take the same position with Michigan State Tuesday afternoon.
According to Zenitz, Hampton has turned down multiple Power-5 defensive coordinator opportunities this offseason to remain at Oregon.
Hampton joined Lanning’s staff in January of 2023 after serving as Tulane’s defensive coordinator from 2021-2022. In his first season in Eugene, he helped lead a unit that ranked 10th nationally in scoring defensive.
In addition to Hampton’s increased role, several other Oregon staffers are also expected to receive promotions in the wake of Martins’s departure.
According to Zenitz, the Ducks are expected to promote analyst Brian Michalowski and grad assistant Rashad Wadood to “bigger roles.” Michalowski is in his second year with the Ducks and worked with the program’s linebackers during the 2023 season.
Wadood worked primarily with the Ducks’ cornerbacks last season. He is viewed by UO as a “rising star” in the coaching ranks, according to Zenitz.
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More on Oregon’s offseason outlook
Few programs in all of college football experienced a greater amount of transfer portal activity than Oregon did during the 2023 cycle.
A total of 30 Oregon scholarship players entered the portal during the previous two transfer windows — 21 in the winter and nine in the spring. Meanwhile, the Ducks added 14 scholarship players during that same period.
Many of their portal additions — including receiver Tez Johnson, cornerback Khyree Jackson, safety Evan Williams, and right tackle Ajani Cornelius — locked down starting jobs and played key roles during the 2023 season.
This offseason, Oregon will once again look for opportunities to improve its roster by way of the portal.
During the month of December, the Ducks made several significant portal additions — including that of former Oklahoma star quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
