Louisville football commit Evan Hampton soars into Rivals top-300 rankings
Louisville football commit Evan Hampton of Owensboro (Ky.) has moved up to No. 171 in the Rivals300 class of 2026 rankings, which were updated today.
This ranking gives the 6-foot, 200-pound running back the title as the No. 1 player in the Commonwealth and No. 16 ball-carrier in the nation. Hampton, who committed to the U of L on March 17, is the only Cardinal to be added to the top-300.
Rivals’ industry ranking, which takes into account ESPN, 247, and rivals’ ranking systems, still has Hampton as the No. 340 player overall and the No. 2 player in the state behind recent Cards commit and offensive tackle Jarvis Strickland (Paducah Tilghman HS). Louisville has seven of the top 10 players in the state of Kentucky committed to the program.
Hampton is among the top prospects in the Cardinals’ 2026 recruiting class. As a dual-sport athlete also stars for Owensboro’s baseball team, where he just finished up a stellar season with some schools offering him scholarships to play both on the diamond and the gridiron. Playing centerfield, Hampton originally committed to play baseball at Kentucky in his freshman year of high school, but decommitted last October.
On the football field as a tailback, Hampton has a quick burst. He boasts a 4.40-second 40-yard dash, and is more than comfortable catching the football out of the backfield and maneuvering in space. He’s also big enough to the point where he can muscle his way through the trenches to the second level of the defense.
It’s obvious why Hampton has been climbing the rankings. After spending time as a slot receiver, Hampton has great hands and made the full-time transition to running back, where he has proven to be elite in the open field and is as elusive as they come in the 2026 class. Last fall, as a junior, he rushed for 1,609 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also caught four scores out of the backfield. He was named All-State third-team by the Courier-Journal.
The all-purpose back is the only Louisville commit to be in the Rivals300 class of 2026 rankings. Notably not making the cut are Strickland, West Boca Raton’s (Fla.) Jaydin Broadnax and Valley’s (Iowa) Jayden McGregory. All are committed to the program and ranked in the top 320 in the industry ranking.
Hampton visited Louisville on September 7 last season for the Cardinals’ win over Jacksonville State after being offered a scholarship by head coach Jeff Brohm last June.
