Electric RB T.J. Hammonds no longer with Hogs
FAYETTEVILLE — The electric, but short, career of T.J. Hammonds at Arkansas could be over.
Head coach Chad Morris announced Monday that the running back is no longer on the team. He declined to reveal any more information when pressed for details such as whether or not he was transferring, if injuries had ended his career or if there was a chance for him to return.
“He’s just not on the team,” Morris repeated. “That’s kind of where we’re at. Is he going to play somewhere else? I just don’t know that.”
In three seasons with the Razorbacks, the oft-injured Hammonds rushed for 378 yards on 57 carries and caught six passes for 148 yards, scoring two touchdowns apiece on the ground and through the air.
Three of those scores showcased the explosiveness that had many fans calling for him to get more touches. Against Coastal Carolina in 2017, Hammonds took a screen pass 60 yards for a touchdown and had an 88-yard scamper, helping the Razorbacks avoid an embarrassing loss. He merely delayed the embarrassment when he took a pop pass 64 yards for a touchdown against Colorado State last season.
The week before saving the Razorbacks from a Coastal Carolina upset, Hammonds played a key role in the largest comeback in school history. On only 11 carries, he rushed for a team-high 84 yards in a 38-37 win at Ole Miss - a game Arkansas trailed by 24 points early in the second quarter.
In those back-to-back games, he piled up 263 yards on 19 touches, only to get eight touches over the final three games of the season.
Hammonds averaged 6.6 yards per carry and 24.7 yards per reception, or a combined average of 8.3 yards per touch, during his time with the Razorbacks despite dealing with multiple injuries. He actually had various ailments before each of his three seasons.
As a freshman, a knee injury during fall camp was thought make him a redshirt candidate, but he managed to play in seven games. The following year, he missed most of fall camp after having surgery to repair an MCL sprain, but didn’t miss any games. Last year, an ankle sprain limited Hammonds in the fall and he ultimately needed another knee surgery that ended his season.
Because he appeared in only four games, he was able to preserve the year of eligibility using the NCAA’s new redshirt rule. That means he is slated to be a redshirt junior in 2019.
A four-star athlete coming out of Joe T. Robinson in Little Rock, Hammonds was the No. 250 overall prospect in the Class of 2016. He turned down offers Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma State, TCU and several other schools to stay home and play for the Razorbacks.
He bounced back and forth between running back and wide receiver under previous head coach Bret Bielema before settling in at running back under Morris.
With his departure, Maleek Williams’ transfer to FIU and Rakeem Boyd still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, Arkansas was down to two running backs for spring practice. That prompted the Razorbacks to move defensive back Jordon Curtis to the position, which he played in high school. A’Montae Spivey, their lone running back signee in 2019, will join the team this summer.
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