Hampton ready to turn page

DARLINGTON - After a series of moves more befitting an Army brat than a football prospect, Victor Hampton believes he finally made the right one.

Hampton, a highly rated defensive back who committed to South Carolina two weeks ago, is a senior at Darlington High, his fourth school in as many years.

The moves have come with baggage: Hampton has had a number of run-ins with coaches and teammates that usually ended with Hampton packing up and looking for another fresh start.

This latest one seems to have taken.

Hampton, a one-time Florida commitment before the Gators dropped him, has avoided the fights and other poor decisions that plagued him at Timmonsville and a pair of Charlotte high schools.

"To be able to stay out of trouble for a couple of months in a row, I feel like I must be on the right track," Hampton said this week during a break from classes.

Connie Boykin said her son has benefited from having a positive male role model in Cheveron Scott, a Darlington attorney and former Florence city judge with whom Hampton lives.

And though a couple months of good behavior might not seem like cause for celebration, it's a good start.

"I came a long way," Hampton said.

Hampton's journey included six years as a youth in Boston, where his mother had family. When Hampton was 13, his family moved to Charlotte. He scrambled for a 76-yard touchdown on his first play in an organized tackle-football league (he played flag football in Boston).

But after Hampton started high school at Charlotte Butler, trouble followed him like a shadow. Fights and a general attitude problem led Hampton through a revolving door of high schools and coaches' offices.

After reportedly getting booted from Butler's basketball team - Hampton said the choice to part ways was mutual - he lasted four games at Timmonsville before returning to Charlotte and enrolling at Independence, a traditional football power.

Hampton said he has had only one scrape with the law - a disorderly conduct charge two years ago that Scott said was dropped. Boykin said her son was charged for directing an obscenity at an officer in a Charlotte mall.

He left Independence last summer after a run-in with a teammate at a national 7-on-7 tournament in Minnesota. Hampton said he then "got into it" with Independence coach Tom Knotts, who decided he'd had enough.

"We never had an ugly falling-out. It was just finally to the point where I drew the line in the sand and said, 'Vic, don't cross it.' And he crossed it," said Knotts, recently named Dutch Fork's new coach. "It was better for both of us to move along."

Hampton moved along to Darlington, which he says has presented fewer distractions because the school is smaller and calmer than Independence.

Scott's steadying influence also has helped.

Scott, who has mentored other youths and housed a Darlington High basketball player last year, grew up with Boykin in the Florence area. He agreed to let Hampton move in with him, and tried to brighten his outlook.

"When he came to live with me, you could just see there was like a dark cloud over him. I used to always tell him, 'You don't smile.' And sometimes I'd just go up to him and nudge him and try to get him to smile a little bit," Scott said.

"He's doing it a lot more. He's coming into his own, and I really believe sincerely that he's on the right track to doing some wonderful things at USC."

As difficult as it was to send her son away, Boykin knew it was the right choice.

"It's been tough for me having my child away from me, especially senior year," Boykin said. "I miss him. But I had to do what was best for him."

Hampton said it was good for him to leave Charlotte, though he did not blame the city environment on his behavior.

"Nothing really influenced me, it was just stuff I was choosing to do," he said. "I was happy, (thinking) if I come down here, maybe I can change."

Hampton sat out the first four games of the 2009 season before the SCHSL granted his transfer appeal. The first time he touched the ball against South Florence, the 5-foot-10, 175-pounder returned a punt 52 yards for a touchdown.

Though he scored six touchdowns on offense, Hampton barely saw the ball on defense. After watching teams throw away from Hampton's side of the field, Darlington coach Justin Danner moved him from corner to safety.

He finished with 50 tackles but just three interceptions, seven fewer than he had as a junior at Independence.

But recruiters still took notice. While Florida backed off Hampton because of grades and character concerns, Tennessee and USC stayed on him. He committed to the Gamecocks during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 9.

Boykin and Scott said they liked the no-nonsense approach taken by USC defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward, who told Hampton if he did not go to class he would not play for him. Ward is scheduled for a visit with Hampton today in Darlington.

Hampton still has work to do before enrolling at USC.

Danner said Hampton has the necessary grades but lacks the test scores to qualify. Hampton will take the SAT again Saturday, and said he will continue to do so until he hits the mark.

Danner said there have been no major disciplinary issues with Hampton, although he had to pull him aside at a practice when Hampton grew frustrated with a younger player who was messing up his assignment. Danner encouraged Hampton to show the player rather than yell at him.

"You could see it happening. Before Vic lined up, he'd make sure this guy's lined up right," Danner said. "You'd look back at that and say, 'This is the kind of kid he can become. He can take over a football game - not just with athleticism."

Knotts said he hopes Hampton has matured.

"Part of growing up is making mistakes," Knotts said. "I hope Vic has learned from his past mistakes. I hope he has adjusted his attitude some because he's got a lot of athletic talent."

Scott points to the Army all-star game as evidence of how far Hampton has come. Despite a strong week of practice in San Antonio, Hampton did not play as much as he had hoped.

Instead of sulking or storming off the Alamodome field, Hampton visited with a group of middle-school all-stars he had met the previous day.

As Hampton gave away his gloves and signed autographs, Scott nudged Danner and said: "That's what it's all about right there. He's getting it."

This story was originally published January 22, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Hampton ready to turn page."