Hampton hires Chris Morphis as head football coach

Arkansas – Poyen assistant Chris Morphis has been hired as the head football coach at Hampton, according to a statement released on Twitter Tuesday night.

“I am very excited to be named the head coach of the Hampton Bulldogs,” Morphis said. “I have enjoyed my three years working at Poyen with Vick and Keith Barrett and all the great coaches and administrators here. I can truly say that I am a better coach than when I stepped foot in the hallways of Poyen. They run a true kid-first program and I hope to use that model to build Hampton into a program that the community can be proud of for years to come.”

Morphis served as an Indian baseball and basketball assistant coach and helped Poyen achieve great success coaching the offensive and defensive lines.

He was a part of the best football stretch in school history, helping lead Poyen to a 27-11 record along with a quarterfinal and semifinal appearance in the playoffs the past two seasons. Morphis has also spent time as an assistant at Western Yell County and Lavaca.

Hampton stumbled through a 3-7 season in 2021 but has had multiple playoff appearances over the past decade, including a state runner-up finish in 2016, and Morphis is up for the challenge. “I am ready to get to work and start the journey, but at the same time it is bittersweet leaving such an awesome community, administration, and coaching staff at Poyen,” Morphis said. “The support and thanks from The Tribe is overwhelming, to say the least.”

In Week 2 of next season when Poyen heads to Hampton for a nonconference game, Morphis will have a reunion of sorts with Barrett and Co.