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This weekend, 2021 Miami Northwestern (FL) LB Ja’Corey Hammett committed to Miami following his Junior Day visit to campus.
The 6-3, 205-pounder is currently unranked by 247Sports, but he recently landed a 3-star designation from Rivals. Hammett's commitment moves Miami up to the #9 overall class in the team rankings on 247Sports and #8 overall on Rivals.
The Player
Up until recently, Hammett was pretty much an unknown in the recruiting world generally, as even after a big junior year he still had no offers as of mid-January. That changed two weeks back when Tennessee was the first school to come calling for Hammett, and Miami threw their hat into the ring two days later. It didn’t take long for Hammett to decide Miami was where he wanted to be, committing to the staff on his Junior Day visit over the weekend despite the coaches having stricter policies on taking pledges this cycle.
Hammett broke out this season on a Bulls defense that ran all the way to another state title, and he recorded 63 tackles and 11 sacks in 2019. Most of Hammett’s film is of him rushing the passer, and his playing style certainly lends you to believe he could end up at DE at the next level. However, like his former MNW teammate and current Hurricane Sam Brooks, Hammett has more than enough speed to stick at linebacker, and that’s where UM sees him playing in college.
Taking a look at the tape, you can see Hammett coming off the edge pretty much every time standing up instead of with his hand in the dirt. His feet never stop moving, and that’s key for someone that’s undersized like he is right now going up against much larger offensive lineman. His get-off is insane, and it is hard for high school level offensive linemen to even get a hand on him with his quick first step; the downtime between snap and knocking down the QB is minute for Hammett. He rushes in with good lean and dips low to propel himself around the edge. Flashes disruptive qualities in gaps and seemingly always finds a window to knife his way into the backfield.
Hammett’s game is based around his speed, but that doesn’t mean he can’t lower the boom, and he shows the ability to hit a ballcarrier with reckless abandon. Demonstrates above average awareness in terms of making backside pursuits and not getting sucked in too deep in the screen game. Would like to see more of him stacking and shedding blocks to make plays in the run game.
The Class
Hammett was the 8th overall commit in the class and he is the second linebacker along with South Dade (FL) 3-star Tyler Johnson. The Canes were originally shooting for four linebackers in the 2020 class and only ended up taking two due to misses and needs elsewhere on the roster. Combine that with the reality that UM has had injuries, poor evaluations, and depth problems at this spot in the last few classes, and you can bet that ‘backer is again going to be a priority in 2021.
The Canes have offered a whopping 25+ linebackers in the class so far, so they are casting a wide net for what really looks to be one remaining spot if both Hammett and Johnson stick until Signing Day. Arguably the top target all along at LB has been Sandalwood (FL) 4-star Branden Jennings, and he would pair perfectly as a bruising inside linebacker type with the faster, twitchier outside linebacker build that Johnson and Hammett bring. The younger brother of current UM linebacker BJ Jennings, Branden has been high on UM for awhile and has visited Miami multiple times in the nearly two years the Canes have been after him. FSU will be the team to watch out for here, as Jennings is a legacy there as well, and he visited the Seminoles for their Junior Day event over the weekend.
UM loves local guys like Chaminade-Madonna (FL) 4-star Terrence Lewis and American Heritage (FL) 4-star Dallas Turner, although both seem to be lukewarm on Miami right now. The Hurricanes also hosted a few linebackers that have offers on campus this weekend for Junior Day, with Hallandale (FL) 3-star Gaethan Bernadel, St. Thomas (FL) LB Jaydon Hood, McArthur (FL) LB Isaiah Finnie, and Jones (FL) LB Rickey Smith all showing up in Coral Gables. Any of them could become priorities if the Jennings’ recruitment doesn’t work out.
The Team
Going into 2020, there aren’t really established roles for most of the linebacker position group aside from Zach McCloud being expected to start at one of the two spots. However, McCloud will be off the roster by the time Hammett arrives in 2021, leaving LB difficult to project into the future at this point. We’ll know a lot more as roles start to clear up during spring ball, with injury prone veterans like Waynmon Steed, BJ Jennings, and Patrick Joyner going up against the younger guys like Avery Huff, Sam Brooks, Tirek Austin-Cave, and Corey Flagg, but at this point, there is a ton of open playing time available. With an unsettled depth chart, Hammett and his classmate Johnson could have plenty of opportunity to come in and win roles as freshmen.
The 6-3, 205-pounder is currently unranked by 247Sports, but he recently landed a 3-star designation from Rivals. Hammett's commitment moves Miami up to the #9 overall class in the team rankings on 247Sports and #8 overall on Rivals.
The Player
Up until recently, Hammett was pretty much an unknown in the recruiting world generally, as even after a big junior year he still had no offers as of mid-January. That changed two weeks back when Tennessee was the first school to come calling for Hammett, and Miami threw their hat into the ring two days later. It didn’t take long for Hammett to decide Miami was where he wanted to be, committing to the staff on his Junior Day visit over the weekend despite the coaches having stricter policies on taking pledges this cycle.
Hammett broke out this season on a Bulls defense that ran all the way to another state title, and he recorded 63 tackles and 11 sacks in 2019. Most of Hammett’s film is of him rushing the passer, and his playing style certainly lends you to believe he could end up at DE at the next level. However, like his former MNW teammate and current Hurricane Sam Brooks, Hammett has more than enough speed to stick at linebacker, and that’s where UM sees him playing in college.
Taking a look at the tape, you can see Hammett coming off the edge pretty much every time standing up instead of with his hand in the dirt. His feet never stop moving, and that’s key for someone that’s undersized like he is right now going up against much larger offensive lineman. His get-off is insane, and it is hard for high school level offensive linemen to even get a hand on him with his quick first step; the downtime between snap and knocking down the QB is minute for Hammett. He rushes in with good lean and dips low to propel himself around the edge. Flashes disruptive qualities in gaps and seemingly always finds a window to knife his way into the backfield.
Hammett’s game is based around his speed, but that doesn’t mean he can’t lower the boom, and he shows the ability to hit a ballcarrier with reckless abandon. Demonstrates above average awareness in terms of making backside pursuits and not getting sucked in too deep in the screen game. Would like to see more of him stacking and shedding blocks to make plays in the run game.
The Class
Hammett was the 8th overall commit in the class and he is the second linebacker along with South Dade (FL) 3-star Tyler Johnson. The Canes were originally shooting for four linebackers in the 2020 class and only ended up taking two due to misses and needs elsewhere on the roster. Combine that with the reality that UM has had injuries, poor evaluations, and depth problems at this spot in the last few classes, and you can bet that ‘backer is again going to be a priority in 2021.
The Canes have offered a whopping 25+ linebackers in the class so far, so they are casting a wide net for what really looks to be one remaining spot if both Hammett and Johnson stick until Signing Day. Arguably the top target all along at LB has been Sandalwood (FL) 4-star Branden Jennings, and he would pair perfectly as a bruising inside linebacker type with the faster, twitchier outside linebacker build that Johnson and Hammett bring. The younger brother of current UM linebacker BJ Jennings, Branden has been high on UM for awhile and has visited Miami multiple times in the nearly two years the Canes have been after him. FSU will be the team to watch out for here, as Jennings is a legacy there as well, and he visited the Seminoles for their Junior Day event over the weekend.
UM loves local guys like Chaminade-Madonna (FL) 4-star Terrence Lewis and American Heritage (FL) 4-star Dallas Turner, although both seem to be lukewarm on Miami right now. The Hurricanes also hosted a few linebackers that have offers on campus this weekend for Junior Day, with Hallandale (FL) 3-star Gaethan Bernadel, St. Thomas (FL) LB Jaydon Hood, McArthur (FL) LB Isaiah Finnie, and Jones (FL) LB Rickey Smith all showing up in Coral Gables. Any of them could become priorities if the Jennings’ recruitment doesn’t work out.
The Team
Going into 2020, there aren’t really established roles for most of the linebacker position group aside from Zach McCloud being expected to start at one of the two spots. However, McCloud will be off the roster by the time Hammett arrives in 2021, leaving LB difficult to project into the future at this point. We’ll know a lot more as roles start to clear up during spring ball, with injury prone veterans like Waynmon Steed, BJ Jennings, and Patrick Joyner going up against the younger guys like Avery Huff, Sam Brooks, Tirek Austin-Cave, and Corey Flagg, but at this point, there is a ton of open playing time available. With an unsettled depth chart, Hammett and his classmate Johnson could have plenty of opportunity to come in and win roles as freshmen.
