Additional Hampton quotes
June 30, 2008
First off, here is the feature on Jamie Hampton that I have written.
The interview was pretty long. It was going to be a regular Q and A like the ones I’ve been running, but I decided to make a story out of it. Here’s a good deal from what I couldn’t get into the story.
When did you find out you were the No. 1 guy?
“Coach (Neal) Brown said he wanted to get it out of the way and name a starter. It’s not definite yet. I haven’t started a game yet, so it’s not that big of a deal.”
When he got the three of you (Hampton, Jones, L. Brown) together to announce you were the top guy, was that awkward?
“To a certain extent it was. I was happy and they were happy. I know they wanted it too, but I don’t think there were any hard feelings. If someone else would have been named starter, I wouldn’t have had any hard feelings because I know that I did my best.”
Has the relationship between the three changed?
No, we’re all still pretty good friends and we all hang out.
How does your mindset change now that you’re the top guy?
That’s one of the big things that they’ve been preaching to me, to develop leadership. That’s one thing that during the summer, I’m trying to gain respect from all my teammates and follow what Omar (Haugabook) did — he was a good leader and he left some big footsteps.
What did you learn from Omar?
He was mentally tough. He was going to do when he had to do and not let anyone tell him any different. That’s how I’m trying to get — hard-headed, not get off task, stick to schedule and all that other stuff.
Do you yell at people now?
I don’t quite yell at them yet. I wouldn’t respect me all that much either, but right now I’m just trying to tell them what to do. I have yelled at a couple of them, but that was just when they ran a wrong route or something like that, nothing major.
How Troy jumped into the picture after he had first committed to Purdue?
Coach Tony Franklin called my coach then he started calling my house and we set up an official visit. I liked Coach (Larry) Blakeney and Coach Franklin. It felt right, committing and signing here.
What did Purdue coaches say when you decommitted?
He was a little mad, but recruiting’s a business. You have to do what’s best for you and coming here was the best thing for me.
What was the biggest crowd you played in front of in 1A ball?
About 5,000 people or so. As far as crowds go, I started against Georgia so that won’t make that big of a deal. I still get butterflies, but that goes away after the first one or two plays. It doesn’t matter if it’s in Class 1A against the worst team we ever played or against a team like Georgia.
On the first game of the year
I think Middle Tennessee is going to be one of the top teams we play all year. It’s a big rivalry game and if you can’t get pumped up for that game, you can’t get pumped up for anything.
You’re known for your legs thus far at Troy
I want to show people I can pass. Out of high school, that’s what I was known for. I was pretty slow for most of high school, then all the sudden, I don’t know what happened, but I got to where I could run a little bit. I know I’m not going to outrun that many people, but I want to make a move and go and get as many yards as I can get.
What all have you had to work on?
I’ve really had to work on my touch — anything I’ve got to put more air on. More or less the deep ball, but red zone throws, fades, corners, throws where you have to get it over the defender.
Do you walk around with more swagger?
I don’t let it get in my head. You have to walk around with a little more swagger because people are looking to you to lead them. As far as going to people and saying, ‘Hey, I’m the No. 1 quarterback, I don’t have to do that because that’s not me.’
Do people around campus know who you are?
I don’t know. Probably not. It doesn’t bother me. I’d just assume be a no-name than anything else. It’s just fine with me. I don’t think that many people really know I play football. If you look at me, I just look like a normal student. That doesn’t bother me too much, it keeps people from going up to me and asking if I’m the starter and all this other stuff.
On gaining weight
That’s what I’ve been trying to work on, gaining weight so I can take more hits. I’d like to get around 220, because once camp starts I’ll probably drop around five pounds from the heat and sweating much. I can play at 215 if I can keep it at 215.
