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Hammond recaps Junior Day experience

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RedRaiderSports.com's recruiting coverage is brought to you by Biggs & Greenslade Law
Hutto QB and Texas Tech commitment William Hammond
Hutto QB and Texas Tech commitment William Hammond
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The Texas Tech coaches hosted several prospects on campus over the weekend for the program's first Junior Day of the 2024 recruiting cycle.

Among the group of recruits in town was Hutto quarterback and Texas Tech commitment William Hammond. The four-star prospect had visited the South Plains a few times before, but never as a commitment and he shared more about the experience.

"It feels really good to be committed, my job now is to recruit other guys with me to Texas Tech. That was one of my jobs on the visit to Lubbock this weekend and I'm starting to feel comfortable in that role of letting guys know what Texas Tech is all about.

"This visit was really fun because my parents were both with me and we all sat down with Coach (Joey) McGuire and Coach (Zach) Kittley. We were able to come in a day early, which was great for seeing the campus and various things around the program."

The role of recruiter is still somewhat new for Hammond and he explained how he approaches the conversation with other recruits.

"For me, it is a few things. The love from the coaching staff at Texas Tech and Coach Kittley's offense is explosive. When you are there, everyone from the coaches to the support staff are very genuine. The program, coaches and offense is going to bring in terrific athlets, but it is more about finding the right guys and I'm mostly helping Coach (James) Blanchard with the offensive targets."

Being in town a day early allowed Hammond and his family the opportunity to create their own schedule, including breakfast with Zach Kittley and some team building with a few of the other 2024 commitments.

"We had breakfast with Coach Kittley the day before, and since it was an unofficial visit, my parents paid for our breakfast (laughs). From there, I had the opportunity to tour the academic side of things and how the program supports the student athletes. I was able to sit in on an engineering class and meet the professor, which was pretty cool. After the academic tour, we had lunch at The Cash and learned more about the nutrition programs offered to the athletes at Texas Tech.

"On Friday night, I met with Holton Hendrix and we went to Kasen Long's basketball playoff game. We went to his high school and watched the game, spent time getting to know his family. It was fun, we all hung out together and I was able to see Ivan Carreon and Chandlin Myers this weekend as well."

The Junior Day started on Saturday morning and Hammond provided an overview of the event.

"I met with the guys in the indoor facility on Saturday morning. The coaches had a setup wtih different foods from around the city of Lubbock. I sat at a table with Micah Hudson, Selman Bridges and Coach McGuire. It was good to just relax and just build relationships, get to know everyone.

"After the meeting in the indoor facility, we went to tour the dorms and then we did a photoshoot. At the end, we all went to the basketball game and I spent a ton of time talking with other recruits. I received great feedback from everyone, most of the guys were saying that Texas Tech felt like home."

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire addressed the group of recruits during the event and Hammond shared his thoughts on the speech coach provided.

"The greatest thing I noticed from his speech was how he introduced the entire coaching staff, like 40-plus people, and he provided an overview or tidbits for everyone on the staff. I'm not sure that I could do something like that for my coaching staff and support staff at my high school. I hope to learn how to build relationships like that, it was incredible."

As a quarterback, Hammond is a leader in his recruiting class and spent time during this visit talking with some of the program's top 2024 targets.

"Micah (Hudson) and I had a really good conversation. He is very low-key and doesn't care about the rankings, stars or offers. He is just a very hard working kid, so we mostly got to know one another outside of football. We had both already done the photoshoot thing at several visits, so we finished a few photos and then went back into the office to continue hanging out with the coaches.

"I believe that Micah really likes Texas Tech. In conversations with me and the coaches, it sounded like he was already at Tech, saying things like 'when I'm here' and just putting himself at Tech. His Dad is an alumni and his Mom really likes it at Texas Tech, so we will see.

"I also met Ashton Bethel-Roman for a few minutes. There were so many great recruits in town and he is one that I wish that I had more time to spend with during the visit. Kedren Young is a beast, and already looks like he is ready for college football. I also spent time with Peyton 'Cai' Morgan and Jewlyen Thomas-Roberts. They were both excited about the visit and it seemed like they love Texas Tech."

With so many talented players visiting the program, does Hammond see any new commitments joining the class?

"I feel like we made an incredible impression on some of the guys there. I did not expect to have guys commit there on the spot, but we should have a few here in the next few weeks. The coaches have a 'dream list' of recruits we want to sign in December and I feel we made an incredible impression on those guys, so I'm excited about it.

"I'm coming back to Lubbock for my offficial visit on June 9th. A lot of the commitments and top targets will be there for the official visit that weekend. Every guy I talked with at the visit this weekend was saying they are coming back for that weekend."

Currently rated a 5.8 four-star prospect, Hammond is ranked as the No. 17 overall pro-style quarterback prospect in the country and the No. 55 overall prospect on the Rivals Texas Top 100 for the 2024 class.

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