West High’s Aaron Hampton named Gatorade Alaska Football Player of the Year

After leading the West High football team to its first Alaska state championship in eight years, senior Aaron Hampton on Wednesday became the sixth player in program history to be named Gatorade Alaska Football Player of the Year.

“It feels great because I’ve worked hard since last spring and it was really one of my top goals to achieve this year,” he said. “I honestly kind of forgot about it because it was so late, until I woke up to a huge surprise this morning.”

Hampton was bombarded by congratulatory texts from family, teammates and former coaches, and it wasn’t until he refreshed the Gatorade Player of the Year website and saw his name under Alaska that he knew it was for real.

“I really can’t take all the credit,” he said. “My tremendous teammates really helped me through those tough practices when I wasn’t there mentally. They helped me to be be a better person and version of myself.”

The award not only recognizes a student-athlete for their feats of athleticism on the gridiron, it also takes into account exceptional academic achievement and exemplary character displayed on and off the field.

Hampton maintained a weighted 3.4 GPA and volunteered locally with his church, serving people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity at an Anchorage soup kitchen.

“From a young age, I’ve been preached that it’s student-athlete and not just an athlete,” he said. “I really took that serious, and I’m glad that there is a road that really represents both, and not just one from an athletic standpoint.”

Hampton was a dominant force on both sides of the ball for the Eagles in fall 2023 as wide receiver and outside linebacker. On offense, he caught 40 passes for 612 yards and six touchdowns and put the team on his back in the Division I state championship game by rushing for 140 yards and a touchdown. On defense, he had 44 solo tackles — including eight for a loss — intercepted three passes, returning two for touchdowns, and recovered a fumble for a touchdown in the state title game.

“He plays really good defense and offense,” South Anchorage head coach John Lewis said in a statement. “When everything was on the line, he put them back in the championship game against us. He gave every ounce of effort. You’re looking at a kid who is the difference on both sides of the ball and enhanced his team.”

[West pulls away from South in 4th quarter to claim first state football championship in nearly a decade]

Hampton’s list of senior accomplishments also include being named Alaska MaxPreps Player of the Year last month, receiving First-Team All Conference honors and being named Most Versatile Player Of The Year. Hampton is the first West High recipient of the Gatorade award since Leroy Elliott in 2013-14.

After originally committing to Oregon State University in September, Hampton shifted his focus and verbally committed to play football at the University of California, Berkeley starting this upcoming fall as a preferred walk-on.

“Coach (Jonathan) Smith left Oregon State and most of the coaches that recruited me there weren’t there,” he said. “It was a tough decision since I’ve been committed since September ... Cal Berkeley reached out and things just kind of worked out.”

While both Oregon State and Cal have long been Big 12 members, the Golden Bears are part of mass exodus from the conference, and Hampton is excited that he’ll be able to compete against many of the programs he grew up watching in ACC from now on.

“Being able to fulfill that dream of playing those big-time schools on national television is a dream come true,” he said.