Inside The Panthers

Pitt's Rodney Hammond Might Be College Football's Best RB

The Pitt Panthers have another special runner.

Noah Strackbein

Pitt's Rodney Hammond Might Be College Football's Best RB
Pitt's Rodney Hammond Might Be College Football's Best RB /
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PITTSBURGH -- Rodney Hammond has made noise during his NCAA career, even while sitting behind eventual fifth-round pick Isreal Abanikanda. Now, he's got an opportunity to lead the Pitt Panthers backfield, and he's already viewed as one of the best runners in college football. 

Hammond enters the season as a Doak Walker Award watchlist member. 

This year, he'll add to his 965 yards and 10 touchdowns resume in an offense that has relied heavily on their run game. One year ago, Abanikanda broke Pitt's single-game rushing record and became just the second ACC back since James Connor to rush for 1,400 yards and 20 touchdowns in a season since 2010. 

What the Panthers offense was able to do on the ground a year ago leaves them with plenty of hope of resurfacing that success again in 2023. This time, with Hammond leading the way. 

He'll have new faces behind him, and head coach Pat Narduzzi is hoping to have four or five capable runners on the roster this season - just in case. 

"If you stay healthy, you only need two or three," Narduzzi said. "But you never know how that is, so you got to have them all ready to go."

The junior running back is coming off an eight-game season due to a leg injury, and still contributed 460 yards and five rushing touchdowns. And if everything goes as planned this year, he should find himself on the Doak Walker Award list come December. 

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Noah Strackbein
NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for Inside the Panthers and All Steelers, and is the host of All Steelers Talk. A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, years later, he's almost full yinzer. 

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