Hampton Hasn't Played a Game in New Role, But He's Been Rewarded

When Kalen DeBoer's staff took over, no one was happier on the University of Washington defense than Dominique Hampton. Sure, these new coaches were known for their creative offensive ways.

Yet they brought a decided wrinkle to the stop unit, introducing a fifth defensive back they called the Husky, a hybrid safety/linebacker role that would effectively replace Jimmy Lake's nickelback, someone who needed to be able to hit people. 

The husky Husky Husky. 

Any takers?

Hampton couldn't push his way to the front of the fast enough. A fifth-year defensive back, he had spent much of his time at cornerback, then bulked up and spent last season at strong safety.

He started three games late last year. He finished with 30 tackles, a pair of pass break-ups and two unnecessary roughness calls for late hits. 

The latter stat seemed to define him best: he prefers a physical style of game rather than a sit-in-your-zone-and-wait type of responsibility. 

The Husky will enable him to be the sort of Husky he wants to be.

Fearsome, punishing, painful.

"A week or two after DeBoer got hired, Juice Brown kind of talked to me about what kind of position I would be playing and Coach [Chuck] Morrell talked to me about what kind of position I'd be playing," Hampton said, referring to the UW's new defensive-backs coach and safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator. "I loved what I was hearing."

Considering all this, others have been paying attention to Hampton and his new assignment. Big Game Boomer, the prolific college football list-maker from Oklahoma, recently came up with the nation's best 50 players in this fifth secondary role and ranked Hampton 26th.