For the past six years, Evan Hampton has had a green sticky note taped to the wall of his room with a simple, handwritten goal: Mr. Football. On a night when Hampton and his Owensboro High School teammates were being honored for their recent 5A state championship, that long-held goal became reality. The senior running back was named Kentucky Mr. Football, becoming the first player from Owensboro to earn the honor.
“It had been kind of a stressful week considering the awards, but I give all the glory to my teammates,” Hampton said. “This is a team award as much as it has my name on it. This is a reflection of our season.”
The announcement came as a surprise, and before rejoining his teammates, Hampton walked into the stands to embrace his family. He was soon met on the court by his twin brother Eli and his Red Devil teammates.
“I am extremely proud of him,” Eli said. “There are no words to explain how proud I am of him. He’s been working for it since he was a freshman in high school.”
The honor capped off a whirlwind start to December for Evan. He recently signed his college letter of intent, was named the 2025 Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year, and helped lead Owensboro football to its first 5A state championship — earning MVP honors in the title game.
Hampton finished the season with 2,035 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns, while adding 19 receptions for 288 yards and three more scores. He closed his high school career as Owensboro’s second all-time leading rusher and set the program record for most rushing yards in a single game.
“I’ve said it before, he’s a great example of what a student-athlete should be,” Owensboro’s defensive coordinator Drew Hall said. “He does everything the right way and works hard. He’s a leader on the team, and he leads by example. His hard work has paid off. I’m not going to lie; I teared up when I found out he won because he deserves it. He’s the best player in the state.”
Hampton elevated his play even further in the postseason, rushing for 870 yards and 15 touchdowns over five playoff games. In the 5A championship, a 35-7 win over Pulaski County, Hampton rushed for 108 yards and three touchdowns on just 11 carries, helping end the program’s 39-year state title drought.
“Nobody is more deserving,” Owensboro head coach DaMarcus Ganaway said. “When you have someone who’s MVP or Mr. Football, it’s a combination of everybody around them as well. We talk about codependent success — I can’t be great unless they’re great at doing their jobs. This team really took that on. They supported whoever got the shine, and it was great to see Evan get his.”
In the coming weeks, Hampton will enroll early at Vanderbilt University as he begins preparations for his freshman season at the collegiate level.
