‘Stay Down Until We Come Up’: Rodney Hammond Jr. Has Unfinished Business

It wasn’t an easy season for Rodney Hammond Jr. in 2023. It wasn’t an easy season for just about anybody at Pitt last season, and that’s exactly why Hammond knew he couldn’t be playing anywhere else this season.

Hammond — a 5-foot-9, 200-pound senior running back from Norfolk, Va. — was supposed to break out last season. He was supposed to take the torch from Izzy Abanikanda and be the next 1,000-yard rusher in Panthers’ history. It didn’t happen. He wasn’t happy with his play, and he certainly wasn’t happy with how the team played. So, there was only one solution.

“We ain’t wanna leave business unfinished,” Hammond said last week at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “A lot of us didn’t just want to leave that bad rap on our name. You can’t just go out there, 3-9 and then when stuff gets tough, you leave. No, I’m not that type of person. I believe everybody else that came back, they’re not that type of people. So, when stuff gets bad, we’re gonna stay down until we come up.”

Hammond is the Pitt X-factor. He was supposed to take that next step in 2023, but his usage was… confusing, to say the least. He led the Panthers with 118 carries for 547 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and four touchdowns, and he’s the most talented runner on the roster. At least, I believe he is.

And if new running backs coach Lindsey Lamar could pick one trait for his players to embody, it would be hard work. He doesn’t have to wish that Hammond worked hard. Hammond is once again showing that he works incredibly hard — with superior attention to detail and a professional mindset every single day.

“I love Rodney,” Lamar said last month. “He’s been great. He works. The biggest thing for me is you give me a guy that’s gonna work. And right now, Rodney is showing me that he works. Obviously, he’s a guy that’s played some ball here, played a lot of ball for us here, but I’ve been impressed with the way he works.”

Hammond, who is entering his fourth season at Pitt, couldn’t leave his brothers behind. It may be a new coaching staff, with Lamar coming in as his new position coach, but the coaches, too. Alliance 412 absolutely helped. But Hammond has to “shake back” from last season.

He doesn’t — and didn’t — want to have that 3-9 disappointment by his name. So, he decided to come back and help dig Pitt out of the trenches with his brothers.

Pittsburgh Panthers running back Rodney Hammond Jr. (6) September 1, 2022 David Hague PSN

It’s a different feel having a new coaching staff in place, especially after having Andre Powell as his position coach over the last few seasons, but different isn’t always bad. In fact, different — at least when it comes to Hammond — has been pretty good so far.

“Coach L, I really appreciate him,” Hammond said. “He keeps me up, he makes sure I’m on point and doing what I’m supposed to do, he calls me when I’m on vacation — no matter what it is, he’s gonna call me and make sure I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. Coach L, I got a lot of respect for him, I can say I ain’t ever had a coach like him that’s gonna push me since I got to college.”

Lamar, who was a running back himself at USF from 2009-13, was an All-Big East performer in his own right — primarily as a return man. And Hammond still has to check out Lamar’s film and see what his game was all about for himself, but his coaching style is already paying dividends.

“He brought no loafing, no matter what you’re doing, making sure you’re getting to the ball, getting set, getting set, no loading at all,” Hammond said. “We’re always running, make sure you’re saying what you gotta do and don’t be soft.”

Of course, it obviously isn’t just Lamar who’s new. New offensive coordinator Kade Bell has brought an entirely new offensive scheme to Pitt, a complete 180 from the previous scheme under Frank Cignetti Jr., and it’s an adjustment. But Hammond can say he’s old now, so learning a new offense isn’t too hard anymore. He’s done it before, he’ll do it again and he’ll be able to help his room adapt, too.

Bell is known for throwing the football — 30 to 40 times per game, even. But Bell also wants to be able to establish the run game and truly incorporate an offensive scheme that uses the passing attack and the ground game to open up avenues. It’s an up-tempo, no-huddle scheme that will move way faster than the last two seasons.

“I like that,” Hammond said. “As a defense, you gotta be ready for that. Like I said, we’re gonna wear out a lot of defenses, if you don’t have backups, you’re not gonna be able to keep up with us at all. Even if you got good backups, I don’t think you’re gonna be able to keep up with us.”

The running backs, the unit as a whole (which features Hammond, Desmond Reid, Derrick Davis Jr. and Daniel Carter), will be expected to fulfill a slightly different role this season. Pass pro is still important, of course. If you can’t block, no rock. Gotta block and gotta catch the ball out of the backfield. That diversity is gonna make the offense dangerous.

Hammond hasn’t made much of an impact in the passing game, but, well, the passing game as a whole hasn’t been great over the last two seasons either. And that’s been part of the reason Pitt has had to abandon the run early in games.

It’s even worse in terms of usage. Hammond eclipsed his 2023 season-high (15) carries total in three of his eight games in 2022, and he racked up 292 yards and five touchdowns in those opportunities — all wins. And even in 2021, as a true freshman, he at least matched his 2023 season-high in carries four times.

And, what should be unsurprisingly at this point, he recorded 298 yards and five touchdowns in those opportunities. If Hammond has proven anything in his nearly three years at Pitt, it’s that he gets better and better with more carries.

Hammond was certainly disappointed by his play last season — despite the unpredictability of his touches. The season went quickly, Pitt fell behind and wasn’t able to compete for its preseason goals. Hammond isn’t ready to let that feeling of helplessness overwhelm him ever again. The goal for this season is simple.

“We win, we put up numbers on everybody we play this year,” Hammond said. “3-9, that’s not gonna happen again, I promise you that.”