UNC football is getting ready to face off against an undefeated Pitt squad led by an electric quarterback in Eli Holstein. Geoff Collins has been preparing and game-planning all week for the situations he will face, and today he was thrown a curveball.
Over the course of this season, junior running back Desmond Reid has led the team in rushing with 44 carries for 319 yards and a touchdown averaging 7.3 yards per carry. The ground game for Pitt has been the most efficient in the ACC to date.
Last year, it was then senior running back Rodney Hammond Jr. who led the team in rushing with 118 carries for 547 yards and four touchdowns averaging 4.6 yards per rush in a season where they won just three games.
Big news for Pitt football (4-0). Pat Narduzzi announces that they are getting tailback Rodney Hammond back for the UNC game. He'd been deemed ineligible earlier this year. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry and rushed for 547 yards last year.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 3, 2024
Right before the season-opening game for Pitt, Hammond was declared ineligible to play, though their coach, Pat Narduzzi, say he was still allowed and cleared to practice. Hammond has been sitting on the bench since Week 1 awaiting an opportunity to play.
Narduzzi said, “Excited as a coaching staff and a team that he is back. It’s great for everybody. Right now, he’s ready to play. That’s all I care about.”
UNC will have yet another piece to prepare for with little time to make adjustments that way. There is no telling the time or impact that Hammond will make on the game this weekend, but nonetheless, it’s an intriguing twist for the Heels’ defense.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.