FAYETTEVILLE — T.J. Hammonds made the transition from running back to receiver in the spring and stayed at the position this summer even after All-SEC running back Rawleigh Williams’ retirement.
The move appears to have paid off. Early in fall camp, Hammonds is working with the first-team offense as a receiver alongside sophomore Deon Stewart and redshirt freshman Jordan Jones while senior Jared Cornelius is out with a back injury.
“We’ve been using him in a lot of different places and boy, he’s really something with the ball in his hands,” offensive coordinator Dan Enos said.
The 5-foot-10, 195-pound sophomore is one of the most explosive players on the roster. He was versatile in high school, playing multiple positions, a similar role to what he may have this fall. He’s already lined up all over the field in fall camp and is continuing to work in the backfield. Last year, he showed flashes of his big-play ability while running for 88 yards on 15 carries in limited action.
“We’ll continue to flip him in there a couple times during the day throughout the course of practice and of course during game-like scenarios,” coach Bret Bielema said.
Cornelius’ ailing back has opened up more reps for Hammonds and Arkansas’ other young receivers. Aside from Cornelius, the returning Razorback receivers totaled just 3 catches for 44 yards last year.