Pitt FB Recruiting
Top 2026 Recruit out of New York Places Pitt in Final Schools List
Pitt is targeting the top recruit out of New York in the 2026 cycle and are competing with a number of great programs vying for the wide receiver talent.
Messiah Hampton — a 6-foot, 170-pound prospect out of James Monroe High School — released his top 10 schools that featured Pitt, plus Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Syracuse, Boston College, West Virginia and Toledo.
TOP 10!!!!! Where is home 🏡 @CTC4CHANGE @RoeFootball_ pic.twitter.com/sXYSx5iZD6
— Messiah (M2) Hampton (@messiah_O8) August 30, 2024
Hampton is a consensus three-star recruit and is ranked as the No. 1 player from the state of New York, according to On3 and 247Sports. In terms of positional ranking, On3 ranks him the highest at No. 61 among wideouts.
After camping at Pitt in June of 2023, Hampton picked up an offer from then-wide receivers coach Tiquan Underwood. The Rochester, N.Y. native was back on the South Side on Feb. 3 from Pitt’s Junior Day.
Hampton is an impressive athlete who has tremendous ball skills and is tough to bring down. During his sophomore season, Hampton racked up 620 yards on 42 receptions, while totaling 950 all-purpose yards. He compiled 21 touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams.
As a key piece for James Monroe last season, Hampton helped guide his team to a Section V Class B title and a state semifinals trip.
According to the Marquel Slaughter of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, Hampton broke his hand in Feb. but is fully recovered.
While Pitt has yet to land a player in the Class of 2026, Hampton joins Michigan four-star tight end Lincoln Watkins and Westinghouse four-star athlete Kyshawn Robinson to put Pitt among their final schools.
