Ineligible Pitt RB Rodney Hammond gets green light to play

Pitt senior running back Rodney Hammond was ruled eligible after missing the first month of the season and will play Saturday when the Panthers square off with North Carolina.

Hammond practiced with the team for the entire month of August during fall camp before the school declared him ineligible the day before the season began on Aug. 31 against Kent State.

"He's ready to play," Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said Thursday. "That's all I care about. That's all I focus on."

Hammond, who has 15 career touchdowns at Pitt, was allowed to continue practicing in September. He entered August with expectations to start and carry a significant load on offense after leading the team last season with 564 yards and four touchdowns.

Now back in the mix, Pitt is 4-0 to start the season and filled the RB vacancy with Western Carolina transfer Desmond Reid. Reid transferred to Pitt along with former WCU teammate Censere Lee after last season and both have produced in key roles for new Panthers offensive coordinator Kade Bell, who previously coached both players at WCU.

In addition to a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown in the opener, Reid has been a powerful engine for the Panthers' offense, averaging 7.3 yards per carry and 12.8 yards per catch to lead the conference in all-purpose yards at 188 per game.

Narduzzi said he was informed Wednesday that Hammond would be cleared for Saturday's visit to Chapel Hill, N.C. He credited Hammond for accepting the coaching staff's assessment that Reid would remain "the guy" for the Panthers.

"He's been great, he's been mature," Narduzzi said.

"It's weird because you don't know when it's going to happen. But I grabbed him over the weekend and just said, 'You need to take every rep, we're playing the best.' He was on the scout team on Tuesday and I said, 'You need to go out there and play and be that guy and give us the best possible look. You're the guy and I want you taking every rep.' He went out there Tuesday and got after it. Obviously, things happen for a reason and he's got some good work in."

--Field Level Media