On300 Texas Tech QB commit Will Hammond making noise to start senior season
HUTTO, Texas — The chip on Will Hammond‘s shoulder is about as eye-catching as his numbers to open his senior season.
You won’t hear a peep from the On300 quarterback, though.
Just results.
Through his first five starts as a senior, Hammond leads the state of Texas in total yards (2,343) and is second through the air (1,880). The Texas Tech-bound quarterback owns a 15:3 touchdown to interception ratio with another 448 yards rushing.
Hammond has orchestrated an explosive, high-octane offense that’s been able to manufacture points on command. In the process, the blue-chip passer from Hutto (Texas) High School has totaled 25 touchdowns, completed better than 60 percent of his attempts and more than 10 yards per attempt.
“He’s Him,” Hutto head football coach Will Compton told On3 of his senior quarterback.
“He has been a dark horse on recruiting sites,” he continued on the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 16-rated QB. “He wasn’t high on Elite 11 … He killed it. He goes into the season and he is killing it statically.”
Hammond shines in, outside the pocket vs. Waco Midway
This analyst was on hand for an in-person evaluation of Hammond in Friday night’s home contest vs. Waco (Texas) Midway.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound QB was superb moving within the pocket and also navigating outside of the pocket. Hammond has fantastic pocket awareness and continues to keep his eyes downfield.
On multiple occasions, Hammond showed off his knack for off-schedule plays. He also was superb with his timing on throws in the middle of the field, making accurate passes outside the numbers and his touch on deep-ball attempts throughout the contest. In the pocket, he was oft-composed and kept his eyes downfield and careful with the rock.
In spite of pressure and a few dropped passes, Hammond showed another degree of toughness escaping would-be tacklers and possible sacks by escaping the pocket and running through contact. Hammond is not only a hard-nosed runner, but a smart decision-maker.
“As a player, he’s one of the best I’ve ever been around,” Compton said of his senior QB. “He can make any throw on the field. He is far more athletic than anyone gives him credit for and he’s as tough as nails. What I love about Will is that he’s an amazing person and he’s coachable — he’s always willing to listen to me or the offensive coordinator about what we see and he is also willing to give his opinion as well.”
Hammond is the foundational piece of Texas Tech’s 2024 class
The Central Texas-based passer is one of several blue-chippers in and around the Lone Star State that comprise the Red Raiders’ Big 12-leading 2024 recruiting class.
Hammond is one of the highest-rated commitments in Texas Tech’s class along with Five-Star Plus+ WR Micah Hudson of Temple (Texas) Lake Belton; On300 S Peyton Morgan; and top-100 recruits OT Ellis Davis and EDGE Cheta Ofili.
“First off, the class we’re building is incredible,” Hammond previously told On3 of the Red Raiders’ No. 21-ranked class. “It’s gonna be some type of record in terms of rating. It’s not about the rating, though; it’s about the type of people we’re bringing in. You can see on film what these commits can do and what our class will be.”
As the quarterback, Hammond is the de-facto face of the soon-to-be record-setting haul. The theme, however, is about the people involved in this group.
“Probably the biggest thing is relationships,” Hammond explained. “It’s a testament to how great the staff that Joey McGuire has brought in, especially the recruiting department. We’re definitely good at finding guys early on and it’s why we’re so successful in recruiting. In and out, the program has incredible coaches and they attract really good people.”