Note: The following appears in the Stanford football gameday program.
One year ago, wide receiver and Clemson local Hampton Earle thought he would be playing his final season in the orange and purple. The D.W. Daniel High School graduate was offered a preferred walk-on spot by Head Coach Dabo Swinney during his junior year of high school and has been a member of the squad since his freshman season in 2019. While the 2023 season was supposed to be his last, he was approached by Swinney late in the season with the opportunity to return.
“It was getting towards the end of the year, and I heard that Coach Swinney wanted to talk to me about next year. I was coming off my knee injury from the spring and I’d already had it in the back of my mind to possibly have one last year being fully healthy.”
“We talked for about five or 10 minutes, I thought about it and came back to tell him that I wanted to return for another year. He told me that ‘work’ is always going to be there for me and this is the best time of my life with my best friends and brothers. I still had to complete my master’s degree as well. He basically summed it up by saying ‘you might as well come back’.”
Earle, now a graduate student, has had a fulfilling career as a Tiger student-athlete. His five-time ACC Academic Honor Roll selections and 2023 All-ACC Academic Team selection showcase his academic prowess. On the field, Earle has recorded valuable time as part of the special teams unit on kickoff returns.
“I’ve really enjoyed playing on special teams.
“I didn’t do fall camp last year, because I was coming off my injury and didn’t expect to play. During the first game, the coaching staff told me they wanted to give me a chance on kickoff returns, and it’s been awesome. Finding my little niche and doing it to the best of my ability to help my team win has been great.”
Taking Swinney’s encouragement that he “might as well come back” to heart, Earle has felt exceedingly confident that he made the right decision in returning, noting that so far, this has been his favorite year as a Tiger.
Although previously mentioning that his favorite memory at Clemson was the 2019 CFP National Championship Game, Earle also reflected on the community that he has built around himself during the past five years. Seeing beyond what happens on the field and into living life as a postgraduate, he is grateful for the brotherhood he has built with his fellow team members.
“On the field, my highlight overall as I’ve grown and matured is realizing how special all these moments are. Getting to play football and living life with all these guys who have become my best friends have been a blessing. They’re going to be the guys in my wedding and my best friends for life, so just the fact that I’ve gotten to meet a bunch of different people during my time here has been awesome.”
A veteran in the wide receiver room, Earle clearly sees his role as a mentor to the younger wide receivers. Stating his admiration for Will Brown, a former Tiger wideout who was a role model to Earle, he now looks to be that to the talented yet young Tiger wide receiver corps.
“I really looked up to Will Brown when he was here. He’s a great man. He was two years older than me, so I played with him for three years. He loves the Lord and is someone who I’ve always looked up to and went to when I needed advice. I now want to replicate that for the younger guys on the team.
“I may not get as many reps at wide receiver as some of the other guys, but helping the younger guys in the film room, in meetings, teaching them the best way to form new habits, how to take care of your body, how to get into a good routine…that is where I see myself leading this year.”
As Earle soon turns his attention from football to the workforce, he credited P.A.W. Journey with helping develop his interpersonal and leadership skills throughout his career at Clemson. His time as a P.A.W. Journey ambassador has provided immense growth and has prepared him for the future.
“Being an ambassador gives you the ability to be a voice of the team. When a problem arises, you get together with the other 30 ambassadors and brainstorm ideas about what is going to be best for the team. It’s also great at helping us find jobs after college. They’re the ones who set me up with the job I’m interviewing for right now.”
Earle received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2022 and is scheduled to graduate in May with a master’s degree in public administration and a minor in homeland defense & security. Following his graduation, he plans to pursue a career in law enforcement.
Until then, Earle looks to continue to invest in his teammates, just as those before him, and the program itself, have invested in him.
