Owensboro High tailback Evan Hampton flips from Louisville to Vanderbilt
Flip season does not wait until December. We have seen it arrive in the summer in this 2026 high school recruiting cycle. One of the best players in Kentucky called an audible on Monday.
Owensboro (Ky.) High tailback Evan Hampton flipped from Louisville to Vanderbilt. Clark Lea and the Commodores got the spatula out in mid-July.
“It felt like home and the right fit for me as a human being,” Hampton told On3’s Steve Wiltfong. “I felt the culture consume me and I felt like I ultimately belonged in that program with Coach Lea and the rest of the staff.”
Evan Hampton is the No. 340 overall ranked prospect in the Rivals industry ranking. The four-star recruit is the No. 2 player in Kentucky behind only Paducah (Ky.) Tilghman offensive tackle Jarvis Strickland. However, those two were only in Louisville’s recruiting class together for less than two weeks.
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The tailback committed to Louisville on March 17 but decided to back off that pledge four months later. Vandy has gotten back into the Bluegrass State to record another recruiting win. The Commodores signed three-star Paducah (Ky.) Tilghman cornerback Vanzale Hinton in the 2025 class.
Kentucky has just one tailback commitment in the 2026 class. Alabama tailback Delvecchio “Deuce” Alston II joined the class on June 18.
Kentucky’s 2026 high school recruiting class
| Player | Position | High School | Ranking |
| Matt Ponatoski | QB (6-2, 190) | Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller | 4-star (No. 260 overall) |
| Messiah Tilson | S (6-2, 165) | Rockford (Ill.) Guilford | 4-star (No. 321 overall) |
| Jordan Crutchfield | CB (6-2, 195) | Vero Beach (Fla.) High | 4-star (No. 386 overall) |
| Denairius Gray | WR (6-1, 170) | Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna | 4-star (No. 398 overall) |
| Dallas Dickerson | WR (6-1, 180) | Bogart (Ga.) North Oconee | High 3-star (No. 526 overall) |
| Tyreek Jemison | iOL (6-5, 330) | Dallas (Ga.) Paulding County | High 3-star (No. 550 overall) |
| Lincoln Watkins | TE (6-4, 225) | Port Huron (Mich.) Northern | High 3-star (No. 597 overall) |
| Garrett Witherington | DL (6-4, 290) | Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian | 3-star (No. 798 overall) |
| Isaiah McMillian | CB (6-0, 170) | Katy (Texas) High | 3-star (No. 832 overall) |
| Ben Duncum | DL (6-5, 250) | Austin (Texas) Lake Travis | 3-star (No. 873 overall) |
| Davis McCray | WR (6-2, 190) | San Antonio (Texas) Cornerstone Christian | 3-star (No. 897 overall) |
| Prince Jean | WR (6-0, 170) | Valdosta (Ga.) High | 3-star (No. 919 overall) |
| Cameron Miller | T (6-5, 310) | Hammond (Ind.) Morton | 3-star (No. 938 overall) |
| Max Mohring | LB (6-3, 215) | Malvern (Pa.) Prep | 3-star (No. 1,009 overall) |
| Delvecchio “Deuce” Alston II | RB (6-0, 200) | Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville | 3-star (No. 1,182 overall) |
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