Most early enrollees typically have a lot to handle on their plates when they first arrive on campus, but for freshman wide receiver Josh Hammond, the process wasn't nearly as stressful considering he was already fairly familiar with his surroundings on UF’s campus.
After all, Hammond’s older brother, Frankie Hammond, also played wide receiver for the Gators football team from 2008-12. During that period, the younger Hammond frequently visited Gainesville.
“Oh man, I think it was tremendous,” said Dameon Jones, who served as Hammond’s head coach at Hallandale (Fla.) High School. “For him, I don’t think there’s anything new on campus. He’s been there so many times and knows where things there. Seeing Frankie do things and seeing what not to do. I think it’s tremendous help by Frankie for him following in those footsteps.
“He kind of knew what to expect a little just going to different college games, spring games before it was his time. But being there early was quite an advantage for him, but he said it was a grind. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy. He especially had the mindset to be ready for it.”
For the 6-foot-1, 184-pound Hammond, a four-star recruit in the 2016 class who committed to UF last June, the transition to playing football at Florida was a smooth one. Throughout the spring, "Hot Sauce" Hammond proved to be one of UF’s more reliable targets in the receiving game, making a handful of impressive grabs seeing time primarily as a second-teamer on offense as a wideout on the outside.
"Hammond is very, very smooth in and out of routes,” wide receivers coach Kerry Dixon said. “The quickness part we still have to work on some things, but he understands his body and he knows what he needs to do as far as getting open.”
In the Orange & Blue Debut to cap off the spring, Hammond finished with 24 yards on three catches. Although Marcus Maye broke up a deep pass by Kyle Trask intended for Hammond in the fourth quarter as both the safety and the wide receiver went up for the ball 1-on-1 in the end zone, Hammond showcased good body control and an ability to gain separation on opposing defensive backs throughout much of the contest.
Jones, who kept in touch with Hammond throughout the spring on a regular basis and attended the O&B Debut with Frankie Hammond, was impressed with what the younger Hammond was able to do in the spring game.
"I thought he performed well," Jones said. "You know, the one that was under-thrown in the end zone - I’m a hard critic, so I just felt like he should have got it, but the guy undercut it. But for his first outing as a true freshman who’s supposed to be in high school, I think he did OK.
"He had two deep balls – I don’t know if he thought they were coming to him or whatever the case may be, but he’s pretty good on those," Jones continued. "But just continuing to run on those type of balls. I thought for a freshman he blocked very well. I was impressed with his blocking. I’ve always thought he’s done that well, but getting at that level against guys a little stronger, I was impressed with his blocking. When his number was called, he made the best of the situation."
The catch by Hammond that impressed Jones the most was his 11-yard grab on the second drive of the spring game were Appleby connected with Hammond on a quick slant, as the freshman wideout made an impressive catch in a tight window working against Quincy Wilson. Early on in the second quarter, Hammond found an open lane for a 14-yard catch on an Appleby pass.
"He was just going out there and making plays," Jones said. "What impressed me was for his first outing to be relevant. He didn’t look like he was fazed, not one bit. That's probably what most impressed me with him."
Hammond showed a knack this spring for finding open spaces working against coverage – and Jones liked what he saw from his former wideout as far as his hands and route-running skills.
"I think his hands are great, and his route-running he’s been working on for some years now," Jones said. "He’s a sponge. Every receivers coach, every different offense has a certain way that receivers run routes. He's just the type of kid that just adapts to whatever he's being told to do. He can do multiple things, because he's seen it all. You show him something one time and he absorbs it and he picks it right up."
Ultimately, Hammond absorbed a lot of knowledge pertaining to UF’s offensive system this spring, according to Jones. If Hammond keeps learning and impressing the coaching staff at this rate, there’s a good chance he’ll see an active role in the wide receiver rotation this fall.
“The area he grew in the most was learning all of the plays,” Jones said. “Not just the X or the Y, he learned all three. So that’s why he was able to move around different places and give guys problems and get more reps, because he learned all the spots. That’s what he did in high school – he knew what everybody was supposed to do.
“To come in and catch on in the spring like that, that’s impressive. He said it was difficult, but he got the hang of it.”
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