According to The Oregonian, the Ducks’ freshman wide receiver Messiah Hampton was arrested on Friday. Hampton is facing two felony charges of attempting to elude police and one misdemeanor charge of reckless driving.
He was booked into Lane County Jail on Friday afternoon. The jail confirmed that Hampton was released from custody on Friday, per The Oregonian.
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Hampton’s charges stem from a high-speed chase back on October 18. Two vehicles were pursued and eventually evaded Springfield officers. Fellow wide receiver Evan Stewart was arrested on DUI charges, but isn’t a suspect in the case of an abandoned car from the chase.
Tight end Jamari Johnson was cited for speeding the same night. But police confirmed he isn’t a suspect in the case, either.
“Mr. Hampton has been identified as the driver of one of the vehicles,” Springfield Police deputy chief George Crolly said on Friday evening. “We are still working to identify the driver of the other vehicle.”
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Oregon is set to host Northwestern on Saturday. The Ducks added Hampton as ‘OUT’ on Friday ahead of the game against the Wildcats. He joins fellow wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan out against Northwestern, along with quarterback Dante Moore.
The freshman is sixth on Oregon this season, catching 18 receptions for 181 yards and two touchdowns. His best game of the season came against Portland State, where Hampton caught six passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns.
Hampton was a four-star wide receiver from Rochester (NY) James Monroe. The 6-foot-1 playmaker was ranked as 247Sports Composite’s No. 148 player in the 2026 class, along with being the top-ranked player from New York. He had interest in both Penn State and Miami before committing to Dan Lanning and Oregon.
Oregon is 4-3 this season and will take on Northwestern at 3:30 p.m. ET on Peacock.
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