Vanderbilt flips Louisville RB commit Evan Hampton
Late Monday evening, high four-star running back Evan Hampton flipped his commitment from Louisville to Vanderbilt.
The 2026 class’s No. 171 prospect, according to the new Rivals 300 rankings, recently rose in the rankings after committing to the Louisville football program in March. He is the No. 1 player out of Kentucky in his class. The 6-foot, 200-pound all-purpose back had a fantastic junior season. Hampton rushed for 1,609 yards and 20 touchdowns in the fall, and was named All-State third-team by the Courier-Journal.
While there’s still time for Louisville to make up ground this cycle as the fall approaches, it is a significant loss to the Cardinals’ 2026 class. The group drops from No. 32 to No. 36 in Rivals’ team class rankings.
“It is imperative that I express my appreciation to the staff at the University of Louisville. The decision to decommit and refocus my intentions was not one I took lightly, and I have the upmost respect for the coaches and personnel who invested in me personally and athletically. The University of Louisville is a first class operation and I wish the program nothing but future success,” Hampton announced on his X account.
Vanderbilt had been in on Hampton from the very beginning of his recruitment, and clearly they were in on him late as well.
“The family feel, academic opportunity, and Nashville, Tennessee, is all something I felt was right up my alley,” Hampton told Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong.
“I believe they’re having success from doing the right things, the small details with discipline and more. They showed that this past season, and I’m ready to hop on that boat and be along for the ride, because I believe Vanderbilt football is trending.”
Louisville still has the No. 7 class in the ACC, and despite Hampton’s decommitment, they have the most commits the program has had since 2021. The Cardinals gained three huge commitments over the July 4th weekend in Jarvis Strickland, Julius Miles, and Jayden McGregory.
The Cardinals will now focus their efforts elsewhere in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
