Commitment Impact: Ted Hammond To Michigan
Commitment No. 5 in Michigan's 2024 class is Cincinnati St. Xavier defensive lineman Ted Hammond. The stout lineman pulled the trigger for the Wolverines after visiting this past weekend for a recruiting event. Take a look at how he fits in at U-M as a player, member of the 2024 class and future piece of Michigan's roster.
The Player
Hammond currently checks in at 6-5, 258 pounds and looks the part of a versatile defensive lineman. Obviously 258 pounds isn't huge, but he is just a junior and will certainly bulk up more before arriving in Ann Arbor. In high school, he plays nose tackle, defensive end and even rushes the passer from a two-point stance sometimes. He does a little bit of everything now, including play tight end, so it'll be interesting to see how he continues to develop over the next year and a half.
Hammond shows some signs of being a plus athlete but he wins mostly because of his motor, ability to use leverage and angles. He's obviously got good, not elite size, but that allows him to play with a level of quickness that can be tough to deal with from a strong, interior defensive lineman. Hammond finished his junior season with 41 tackles, including seven for loss, and four sacks.
The Class
Hammond is the second defensive lineman in Michigan's 2024 class as he joins Wallingford (Conn.) Choate Rosemary Hall's Manuel Beigel, who is originally from Germany. Beigel, a 6-5, 282-pounder, is now prepping in the states as he continues to get acclimated to American football. Like Hammond, Beigel has some position versatility and obviously a lot of developing left to do as a foreign-born player still learning the game.
Michigan has 30+ offers out to defensive linemen in the 2024 class and isn't close to done at any of the positions up front. Atlanta Pace Adademy's Hevin Brown-Shuler, West Bloomfield (Mich.) High's Brandon Davis-Swain and La Grange (Ill.) Lyons Township's Eddie Tuerk have all been on U-M's radar for a while and have also visited within the past month or two. They'll be monitored closely moving forward.
The Team
Michigan is pretty stacked along the defensive line right with some young, talented players. As a 2024 prospect, Hammond still has another full year of high school remaining after this year, which gives him plenty of time to develop and gives Michigan's roster plenty of time to evolve.
As of now, barring transfers, interior defensive linemen Rayshaun Benny, Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Ike Iwunnah and Dominick Guidice will still be on the roster. As far as versatile, interior/EDGE combo guys are concerned, Derrick Moore is the only one on the roster right now who will still be around when Hammond arrives in Ann Arbor.
It's hard for interior defensive linemen to play a lot as true freshmen, but we saw that happen with Mason Graham in 2022. It would be a lot to expect from Hammond, who will be behind Graham, Grant and likely Benny from day one, but you never know. Graham himself surprised everyone in year one but by the fall of 2024, Graham and Grant will be true juniors with a bunch of experience and Benny will be a senior in the same boat.