Following the news that Demetrice Martin was leaving for Michigan State, Oregon didn’t waste any time finding their new cornerback coach. According to Matt Zenitz of 24/7 Sports, Dan Lanning and his crew have promoted Chris Hampton be the new defensive backs coach at Oregon.

In 2023, Hampton had served as the Co-DC/Safeties coach.

According to Zenitz, Hampton declined many offers from Power Five schools to be a defensive coordinator this offseason to stay at Oregon. The expectation is that analyst Brian Michalowski and grad assistant Rashad Wadood will also have bigger roles in 2024. The latter (Wadood), who has primarily worked with the cornerbacks, has been an impact recruiter for the Ducks.

Before arriving in Oregon, Chris Hampton spent two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Tulane. He’s had a big part in the rise to dominance for the Ducks defense. Especially, this last season when they finished in the Top-25. Not only has Hampton helped transform the Ducks’ defense to be one of the best in the country, but he has also helped them sign All-American safety Aaron Flowers and Kansas State safety Kobe Savage.

Much like Nick Saban and Kirby Smart taught him, Lanning is promoting from within while coaches are moving all over the nation. The higher-ups of the Oregon Coaching Staff believe in Wadood and Michalowski. Both of whom, have been instrumental to the rise of the Oregon defense.

Showing confidence in the coaching hires that Lanning has made could pay dividends to the Oregon Football program. It allows them to stay in-house and continue to create depth on the coaching staff.

The loss of Demetrice Martin is a big one for Oregon. He was one of Lanning’s first hires when he came to Oregon and has been a favorite amongst both the players and the fans. His departure played a role in former Oregon safety Cole Martin transferring out earlier this month.

The state of Oregon’s secondary will be intriguing as they head to the BIG 10 in 2024. The Ducks have lost Khyree Jackson, Evan Williams, and Steve Stephens. However, they’ve added Flowers, Savage, 4-star transfer Kam Alexander and a few others. By the end of the week, they may add former Washington CB Jabbar Muhammad as well.

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