Baylor two-sport star Caleb Hampton leads Chattanooga area’s junior prospects

At some point he will have a tough choice to make, and one only a select few young athletes are talented enough to face.

Before Caleb Hampton had even stepped onto the field for his sophomore baseball season at Baylor he had committed to South Carolina. This past fall, in his first football season as the Red Raiders main offensive weapon, the 5-foot-9, 205-pound junior ran for 1,514 yards and 18 touchdowns, creating a recruiting buzz among Power Five coaches.

For now Hampton has at least another full year to weigh his options, but a tug of war is coming as college coaches in both sports compete for his signature and the on-field services he can deliver.

“When the time comes I’m sure it will be a really hard decision,” Hampton said. “My goal is still to get to play both sports in college but if that doesn’t happen I won’t feel bad about it. I’ll just be glad for all the time I’ve been able to spend playing both.”

As senior prep athletes around the area, as well as nationally, sign college scholarships on Wednesday, the day also marks the start of a more intense recruiting process for juniors. The Chattanooga area has an impressive group of underclassmen, including Hampton and teammate Brycen Sanders, that are already drawing interest from numerous Power Five programs.

The 6-foot-6, 280-pound Sanders is not only one of the largest in physical stature, but also the biggest name among the area’s list of prospects. A Rivals.com four-star recruit who already has multiple offers, Sanders helped pave the way for Baylor to average more than 6 yards per carry last season.

Hampton benefited plenty from Sanders’ work, then turned his attention solely to his role on a baseball program that will compete for a fourth consecutive state title in the state’s largest private school league this spring.

Rated as a top-50 prospect nationally by numerous baseball recruiting services, Hampton began playing baseball when he was four years old and immediately began producing impressive memories – hitting his first over-the-fence home run that first year.

“His athleticism is off the charts,” said Red Raiders baseball coach Greg Elie. “He’s one of the strongest all-around kids I’ve ever seen and when I say the kid takes no reps off, I mean he truly is tireless. He knew there were some things he needed to improve on for baseball so he has worked on his flexibility and range of motion and now he can play any outfield position and with his speed could hit at the top of the lineup or, because of his power, could be a middle-of-the-order hitter.

“This was his coming out party in football so it should be fun to see if he does the same type thing with a breakout season in baseball. He certainly has that capability. Whichever sport he chooses to concentrate his focus on, you just know he’s going to excel.”

Although his football career began a few years later, he was a quick study and in his sixth-grade season at Baylor scored nine touchdowns in a single game.

In the state’s toughest league – Division II-AAA – Hampton’s breakout all-state season was highlighted in an eight-point first-round playoff win over Ensworth when he carried the ball 44 times for 252 yards and scored all three Red Raiders TDs.

“What he got noticeably better at was his overall vision in seeing things as they open up,” said Baylor football assistant Eric Westmoreland, a two-sport star in high school who had scholarship offers in both football and baseball before opting to focus on football at Tennessee. “He had a couple of runs early in the year where he could’ve scored if he had cut back. I spoke to him about it after that game and never had to tell him again. He picks up on things really quick.

“I see some similarities with his situation and how I was at his age. He likes to set goals for himself and then is an extremely hard worker in going after them. He has the ability to play both sports and being elite at the next level.”

Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis