Purdue gets commitment from transfer portal cornerback
Purdue landed its first transfer portal addition this offseason with a commitment from cornerback Bryce Hampton.
"It just felt like the right place for me," Hampton told GoldandBlack.com on Sunday.
Hampton played at Division II Adams State--located in Colorado--in 2021. Prior to that, Hampton played a Mesa J.C. and Snow J.C. So, Purdue will be Hampton's fourth school. He has one year of eligibility but says he could get a waiver for a second season.
The 22-year-old Las Vegas native will enroll for the second semester and go through spring drills with the Boilermakers. In addition to playing cornerback at Adams State, Hampton played safety, nickel back, running back and receiver. Hampton also looked at San Diego State, Montana, Nevada , Hawaii, UNLV and Bowling Green.
How does Hampton, who visited Purdue this weekend, describe himself?
"A ball hawk," he said. "I got an eye for the ball. Great feet, good tackler. I have everything a good corner should have, speed. I like to compare my game to (Kansas City Chiefs safety) Tyrann Mathieu. That's who I watch all the time and try to model my game around."
Hampton finished third on the team with 666 all-purpose yards in 2021, including 114 returning punts. He totaled 383 receiving yards. He received second-team Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honors, making seven interceptions, including a pick-six. Hampton's seven picks tied for second in Division II in the country.
Purdue will welcome back junior cornerbacks Jamari Brown and Cory Trice, who is coming off a knee injury. But the defense needed some veteran help with the slated backups all being neophytes--redshirt freshman Anthony Romphf and true freshmen Brandon Calloway and Rickey Smith--and fifth-year senior Dedrick Mackey perhaps not returning for a COVID year.
Purdue is recruiting Vanderbilt cornerback Gabe Jeudy-Lally out of the portal, too.
"My whole plan when I went into the portal was to go Division One," said Hampton, who also visited Division II Grand Valley State.
"It's been a real long journey for me. I didn't think I was going to get anything close to Purdue, the Big Ten or even other Power Five schools, to be honest. I thought I was gonna get Big Sky (offers), at the most. So, I am blessed to have this opportunity."
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