After Clemson’s two fall scrimmages this past summer, Dabo Swinney opted not to shower any individual players with praise.

The Tigers’ head coach provided a myriad of reasons behind his thinking, namely that none of Clemson’s players had earned the right to be starters, and therefore did not deserve public compliments.

His one exception, however, was always junior cornerback Ashton Hampton.

“That’s one guy I’ll single out is Ashton Hampton,” Swinney said at the time. “I’m really pleased with just his maturity. I think he shows up every day like he’s playing in the Super Bowl. That’s just the mindset he brings every day. I love it.” 

Throughout the summer, Clemson football’s social media accounts showcased Hampton’s Super Bowl mentality in action. 

One video showed him leading his team through an early-morning hill sprint, shouting encouragement to his teammates, mid-run. Another showed the Tallahassee, Fla., native screaming at full volume after winning a game of bingo as an unsurprised Swinney laughed in the background.

Earlier in the spring, Swinney even confessed to making Hampton sit out after consistently “baptizing” freshman wide receivers throughout one-on-one matchups during a stadium scrimmage.

According to the veteran head coach, that is just who Ashton Hampton is.

If Hampton treated every competition this offseason, even a weeknight game of bingo, like the biggest game of his life, then Clemson’s 24-10 victory over California Friday night might have been the big payoff for that mentality.

In turn, if college football games kept the same standards as NFL Super Bowls, Hampton might have won the MVP trophy and gotten himself booked on a free trip to Disney World after his performance in the win.

Entering the game, opposing quarterbacks had only completed 36.8 percent of their passes against Hampton, completing just seven passes on 19 targets. Those numbers, however, are now dwarfed by his dominance against the Bears.

After a quiet first quarter, the Tigers’ defensive back started rolling in the second period of play.

After the Tigers took a 10-7 lead after a long drive, the Bears responded with a quick first down, bringing the ball up to their own 35-yard line. Promptly, Hampton broke up two passes–and all of Cal’s momentum–to force a long field goal attempt, which was ultimately missed.

He then continued to fire up the defense, helping force another quick stop before the half.

In the third quarter, after another big defensive stop, wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr., ran back a 65-yard punt return for a 17-10 advantage. Hampton, ever-present, laid a final block on a California player to give his teammate a clear shot to the end zone.

As Wesco raced in for the score, Hampton appeared to be the happiest player on the field, even offering a high-five to the wideout moments before he even entered the end zone.

“The guys executed it really well, especially Ashton,” Swinney said of the punt return. “He did a nice job of not having a crack-back block in that situation. Just really proud of our football team.”

That clean block, however, was not the end of Hampton’s night.

With just over nine minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Cal made another rare trip into Clemson territory, using two short passes and one 16-yard run to reach Clemson’s 43-yard line. However, on a third-and-16 situation, Hampton broke up yet another pass to force the Bears into another punt.

Still not finished, the veteran made one last tackle at the line of scrimmage to force a fourth down on Cal’s last offensive drive of the game. Fellow cornerback Elliot Washington II helped him out on the next play, sealing the victory with his second interception of the night.

Hampton finished with three total tackles and three pass breakups, tying a personal best he set against Georgia Southern two weeks ago. On the young season, the potential NFL Draft prospect is up to 10 tackles, seven pass breakups, five deflections and an interception.

“Three PBUs for (Hampton), he just continues to play well for us,” Swinney said.

As a whole, Clemson’s secondary finished with 27 tackles, helping to hold Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele to just 119 passing yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. It was the first time since 2022 that the Tigers gave up three or fewer points in any game.

While the Tigers’ offense struggled to piece together rhythmic drives, the defense came up with its best statistical performance against a Power Four opponent this season. The sledding will not get any easier, however, as the Tigers host ACC-favorite Miami at Memorial Stadium next Saturday.

Clemson fans can rest assured, though, that the game will be Hampton’s Super Bowl, and so will the practices leading up to it.

—photo courtesy of Clemson Athletics Communications