Dayne Hammond, Boardman (Ohio), established himself as one of the top sophomore prospects in Ohio following his performance this year.
Hammond, 6-foot-6, 185-pounds, used his size and speed to impress from his wide receiver position. Although he only caught ten passes in a run-oriented offense, they were for an eye-popping 351 yards, and he scored four touchdowns.
"I think I had a pretty good year, but it could have been better," Hammond began. "I didn't really get going until late in the year when things seemed to slow down for me out there on the field. We didn't throw the ball a lot, and we had two great senior wide receivers out there, including my brother Chase. I think I got a lot better in the last 3 or 4 games."
Hammond, who also plays basketball for the Spartans, sees his future in college on the football field.
"I play basketball, but I see myself playing football in college," he admitted. "I want to concentrate on football in college because I think I'm a lot better football player, and I think I can get a lot better over the next few years."
He was able to visit several colleges this year, some with his older brother Chase, a Division-I recruit at wide receiver.
"I was able to visit a few schools this year and I liked seeing different places," he stated. "I went to Western Michigan and Wake Forest to see games this year. I also visited Duke and North Carolina on an academic tour. I really liked both of those schools. I'm really interested in Ball State a lot, as well as Penn State. I really like warm weather and I'd like to play college football in the South."
Hammond compares favorably to Ohio State recruit Tyrone Williams (East Cleveland Shaw), in both height and top-end speed. He figures to be one of the top juniors in Ohio next year and should draw a lot of interest from college recruiters.
"I really need to spend some serious time in the weight room because I really need to get stronger," Hammond said. "I have good speed and I was timed at a 4.55 forty-yard dash last year, but I think I can even get my time down even more. With our two senior receivers graduating I know I need to step up next year, because I will be counted on to be a play-maker for our team. I plan on getting a lot better over the next few months."