CHARLOTTE – Media Day for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl took place Tuesday morning at the Charlotte Convention Center, and among the four North Carolina players available was sophomore running back Omarion Hampton.
The Tar Heels meet West Virginia for a 5:30 PM kickoff Wednesday at Bank of America Stadium. The game will air on ESPN.
THI sat down with Hampton and spent some time with him discussing the importance of the team finishing the season on a strong note, opportunity for some untested players, his own growth this season and more.
Above is video of Hampton’s interview, and below is the full transcript of what he had to say:
*Conner Harrell has been QB1 for the last two weeks, so has Hampton seen any change from the redshirt freshman from Alabama?
“Yeah, I feel like he’s stepped up a lot. Just being a leader for the offense and being someone we can lean on. (He’s) doing everything, everything in practice.”
*So, UNC has clearly tweaked its offense some to be more conducive to Harrell’s skills. He is quick and fast, and Hampton sees them as being a nice rushing tandem.
“We can do a lot of different things with Conner. He can do really everything in the offense. Yeah, we’ve got a lot of things for him.”
*Hampton has run for 1,442 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. He improved dramatically in every facet of playing his position. The vision was key, however. He explains that and his game.
“I feel more comfortable in games because they’ve slowed down a little bit. Just getting more comfortable in games. I feel like that helped me a lot.”
*As for the vision, however, he didn’t need it in high school, he just ran everyone over. But he needs it in college.
“A lot of work, really. Being with British (Brooks), he kept telling me how football really works, how to have vision, be patient in the backfield, and just do all the small things really.”
*Hampton has made quite a few All-American teams this season. So, what has it been like waking up each day as an All-American?
“It’s been exciting. But at the same time, I’ve got more goals I want to accomplish and everything. I’m looking forward to next season/”
*Some of those goals are?
“Really, just being better than I was this year, really. Going off that.”
He says it will take a lot of practice and work this offseason. Hampton also said to get from 1,500 yards to 2,000 means “working on the small things, really just learning more about the defense, learning more about getting past the second level.”
*Texas A&M QB transfer Max Johnson has been with the team for a few days. What are Hampton’s initial impressions, and what does he know about him as a player?
“We’ve talked a little bit. I like him a lot. I feel like he’s going to be a good tool in our offense next season. I feel good about him.”
