Pitt running back Rodney Hammond Jr. has been declared ineligible for the 2024 season, the program announced Friday. The senior was the Panthers' leading rusher in 2023 and was listed as a co-starter on the depth chart this week before the Panthers' season opener against Kent State.
Hammond rushed for 1,511 yards and 14 touchdowns over his first three seasons in the program and was a key piece of the backfield rotation in 2021, when the Panthers won the ACC title and reached the Peach Bowl. He is still part of the program and will be allowed to practice, according to Pitt's announcement.
Hammond started six games in 2023 and has reached 100 yards rushing three times during his career. The Norfolk, Virginia, native was regarded as a three-star athlete by 247Sports as a member of the 2021 recruiting class.
The absence of Hammond should allow Desmond Reid to take on a featured role. Reid, a junior, rushed for 897 yards and 13 touchdowns at the FCS level for Western Carolina last season. At just 175 pounds, Reid doesn't offer the physicality of the 200-pound Hammond. But he may be more of a threat in the passing game after catching 21 passes for 283 yards with the Catamounts last season.
Derrick Davis Jr. will likely be next up behind Reid. The junior LSU transfer rushed twice for eight yards in 2023. He amassed 57 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries for the Tigers in 2022.
