Hammond breaks down his commitment to Pitt

Pitt received a commitment from 2021 standout Rodney Hammond this morning. He is a 5'10" and 185-pound running back out of Norfolk (Va.). Hammond had 14 scholarship offers with programs like Michigan and Penn State having offered, but he opted for Pitt and decided now was the time to make his commitment. Hammond visited Pitt back in April and that trip really impacted his decision.

“When I visited Pitt, it caught my eye," Hammond told Panther-Lair.com. "Then Coach Beatty, he’s a great coach. He’s a coach that can change your mind like real easy. Everything, like speaking to him, it’s just like he’s a father figure and I can see myself playing under a coach like that.”

Beatty is a first-year wide receivers coach for the Panthers. He is from Virginia and has been a strong recruiter in that state prior to coming to Pittsburgh. It was a unique situation where Beatty offered Hammond twice.

“When he was first at Maryland, like he gave me an opportunity," he explained. "He was one of the first people to offer me and then once he got the new job at Pitt, he offered me again and just like how we communicate is good. He gave me an opportunity both places he went, he really believes in me so I know there’s love there.”

Hammond is a goal driven player, and the NFL is certainly on his mind. His visit to Pitt opened his eyes to that as well. The facility that Pitt shares with the Steelers, the number of NFL players Pitt has produced, and not to mention his favorite NFL player is Larry Fitzgerald. All those factors played into his decision.

“I don’t want to be a player that just plays football, I want to go to the NFL and that’s my No. 1 goal to make sure my mom can get away from here," Hammond said.

So why now? It had been a while since he last visited Pittsburgh. The commitment itself did come from out of nowhere. He just had a feeling.

“I felt like I was ready to commit now, my mind was made up and it was made up at the time," Hammond said. "I wanted to be different and I felt like I could make a decision for myself now. I just wanted to do it a little early and get more focus on the season.”

Hammond said he is the leading rusher in the Hampton Roads area for public schools and estimates he is over 1,400 yards with 22 touchdowns. He also has six interceptions on defense as well.

Hammond becomes the first commitment from the state of Virginia to commit to Pitt with Beatty on the staff. He said he's noticed that Pitt is spending a lot of time in his state, and now he will add to the effort.

“Of course, wherever I go I want my guys to come with me," said Hammond.