If you were to take a gander at Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest big board for ESPN.com, it should come as no surprise that Clemson Tigers star defensive back Ashton Hampton is slated to be a top-16 pick. He is easily the best player on this year's Clemson team. While linebacker Sammy Brown and edge rusher Will Heldt have both had first-round grades at various points of the offseason, Hampton stands alone.
Hampton's ascension to superstardom in the ACC has coincided with Clemson's massive turnaround in the secondary. Along with transfers Jerome Carter III, Corey Myrick, and Elliot Washington II, the Tigers have something fierce in the back end of their defense. It goes to show that being aggressive wins in college football. Kiper may have said it best in his mid-season evaluation of Hampton's game.
"Hampton's confidence shows in his play. You can tell he loves matching up with the opposition's No. 1 receiver and going to battle. And more often than not, Hampton wins," Kiper wrote for ESPN.com. "He has allowed just 2.5 yards per pass attempt in his direction this season, which ranks in the top 20 in the nation. He plays an aggressive style, crowding receivers at the line of scrimmage, getting in his hip pocket, and disrupting routes right away."
It is this extra little edge that Hampton has been playing with that has made all the difference for him.
Ashton Hampton's acension has reinvigorated the Clemson secondary
Kiper has Hampton at No. 13 on this big board as CB2, behind only Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Leonard Moore, whom he has as the No. 3 overall prospect for 2027. When comparing Hampton's stats from his sophomore season last year to what he has done as a junior so far, he is really setting himself up for success. Hampton leads FBS with nine passes defended so far this year.
While Hampton might not match his mark of 45 combined tackles from a year ago, clearly, nobody wants to throw the football in his direction anymore. This has resulted in Washington having a team-high three interceptions through five games. The additions of Carter and Myrick at safety have allowed Hampton to go on an island and close down half the field. It has been remarkable to watch.
Furthermore, Hampton has taken on a bigger leadership role with this team. While Brown and Heldt were two of the three players to represent Clemson at ACC Media Days during the summer, everyone knows who the best player is on this Tigers defense. They all look to Hampton for guidance during the course of a game. Even when the Tigers are out of it, he continues to play at the highest level.
There may not be a better example of this than him standing out in Clemson's two blowout losses on the season. His lone interception of the season came early in the first quarter at LSU before Clemson got pulverized. Despite Clemson struggling to keep Miami out of the end zone, Hampton made sure that Malachi Toney was not the one to beat the Tigers in the passing game. Cooper Barkate sure did.
Frankly, Hampton is playing with such great precision at cornerback that he should go in the top 16.
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