Michigan commit Lundon Hampton a ‘dynamic,’ down-to-earth dazzler for Kenowa Hills football

BY SCOTT DECAMP

For Michigan Sports Radio

GRAND RAPIDS — With a talent like Lundon Hampton, it would be easy for his Kenowa Hills teammates to get caught watching the University of Michigan commit do his thing.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior is electric. He’s versatile. In the words of Knights coach Don Fellows, Hampton is “dynamic.”

“You know, it’s really cool to be (teammates) with someone like that, just to be able to experience it and personally as a Michigan fan myself to be able to look at it and be like, ‘Dang!’” said Kenowa Hills senior linebacker and wingback Zander Yost, who thinks of former Wolverines playmaker Jabrill Peppers as a comparison for Hampton when it comes to style.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Hampton is a three-star prospect rated 76th nationally at the “Athlete” position and 19th overall for the state of Michigan in the Class of 2027.

Some players headed to a prominent program such as U-M could big-time people, but that’s not Hampton.

According to Coach Fellows, Hampton is quite the opposite. He loves his teammates. He’s a hugger.

“He’s a very goofy guy. Like, you see all these big-time guys and they’re too cool for you,” Kenowa Hills senior quarterback Grayson Fellows said. “He talks to everyone in the school. There’s not one person he doesn’t talk to in the school, so that’s pretty cool.”

Added Knights senior receiver and cornerback Will Fussman: “He’s an insane athlete. I mean, he’s going to Michigan. But he’s also a really good person. He’s a great friend. Does everything right.”

Make no mistake: Hampton is a competitor. He wants to win. 

He’s a playmaker, all over the field, doing whatever it takes to help his team.

Hampton is Kenowa Hills’ featured running back, having rushed for 1,266 yards and 22 touchdowns on 170 carries and totaled 1,824 all-purpose yards and 26 TDs during the Knights’ 8-2 season in 2025. He’s an important part of the defense, too, as last year he racked up 59 tackles including six for lost yardage, plus four pass break-ups, and one forced fumble.

“I would say I can really do everything, like anything coach needs,” Hampton said. “(If) he needs me at running back, he needs me at slot, receiver, corner, safety — I can do that.”

He did not mention it, but add leadership to the mix.

“He brings the intensity every day,” Grayson Fellows said. “If our intensity is down, everyone looks at him and he picks everyone up.”

Don Fellows said that Hampton is tireless and gets stronger as a game progresses.

Growing up, Hampton liked to watch and mimic former NFL star running back Adrian Peterson. These days, he appreciates dazzling Detroit Lions back Jahmyr Gibbs.

Hampton’s long-term goal is to not only make it to the NFL, but to build a career in it. Don Fellows has coached NFL talent before.

“He is dynamic. He reminds me a lot of Kavon Frazier that I had at Grand Rapids Christian and played for the Dallas Cowboys. I mean, Lundon’s an NFL player if he sticks with it and does that kind of stuff.

“I mean, he’s physical. He loves football. He gets mad at me when I pull him off the kickoff team. He just wants to be on the field every single play. He’ll play every snap and, I mean, a lot of that is he’s blessed with athletic ability but he also has the work ethic to go along with it.”

Yost can vouch for that.

“I say a lot of (Hampton’s ability comes from) work ethic. He’s been working pretty hard,” Yost said. “He’s the most explosive guy I’ve seen. He’s got a ton of explosive power (coming from weight-room work).”

Hampton transferred to Kenowa Hills as a sophomore, coming from Jackson Lumen Christi, a perennial powerhouse.

During the college recruiting process, Hampton said he also strongly considered Iowa, but Michigan felt like the right fit. He plans to study sports management when he gets to Ann Arbor.

“It felt like home to me (and) they had the best opportunity for me, the best development, and coach Tony Alford,” Hampton said. “I felt like he was probably one of the best running back coaches in the nation.”

Hampton is blazing fast, last clocked at 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash. One area where he acknowledges that he needs work is running the ball with more patience.

During Hampton’s time at Kenowa Hills, the Knights football program has made a gradual climb. Prior to his arrival, the team finished 3-6 in the 2023 season. In 2024, the Knights went 6-4. In 2025, they won the Rivers City Alliance title with a 6-0 record and finished 8-2 overall.

Kenowa Hills returns 18 of 22 starters this season, and the next step for the Knights is to make a run in the playoffs.

With Kenowa Hills moving from Division 3 to Division 4 this season, the Knights have hopes of contending for the first state championship in school history.

Kenowa Hills will be tested right away, taking on reigning Division 3 state champ DeWitt in the season opener at 7 p.m. Thursday. The showdown is part of the Amazon Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State University’s Tom Adams Field.

Whatever happens with the Knights this season, Hampton is grateful for the opportunity to don the black and gold and feels as though there’s unfinished business to address prior to his uniform color to maize and blue.

He’s focused on finishing his high school career strong.

“It’s been a great experience for me really, and the growth I’ve shown has been very big,” Hampton said about his time with Kenowa Hills. “I feel like I didn’t really know much about football coming in, and Coach Fellows has helped me a lot in that aspect of the game.

“Coach Fellows always says, ‘Clean your plate.’ So, whatever you have going on outside of football (in terms of distractions), just kind of block that out. When you get to football, focus on that.”

Featured photo at the top: Kenowa Hills senior Lundon Hampton eyes the end zone during a practice Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Grand Rapids, Mich. (Photo | Scott DeCamp)