Hayes Hammond thankful for career at Mississippi State
Hayes Hammond has become the resident old man on the Mississippi State roster, but the longtime special teamer can remember his arrival to Starkville as if it were yesterday.
Coming from Tupelo High School to the big stage in the SEC, Hammond arrived to State looking for an opportunity for a few years. Being the son of a high school coach aided in his development and coachability and it’s made him want to follow in his father Trent’s footsteps as a coach.
“It’s helped a lot because I’ve been around football my whole life and seen people go to college and watch their experience,” Hammond said. “I think it’s helped me along the way taking coaching my whole life.”
Hammond was one of the top long snappers in the country coming out of high school when he chose State after being committed to Ole Miss. He worked his way into a starting position after redshirting his freshman year and he never looked back.
Over the course of the last four years, Hammond has snapped all across the country for the Bulldogs and he’s started at the primary snapper in 47 contests. The key to his success has been consistency every day.
“I just take it day by day. I practice it every day – it’s a 15-yard snap or an 8-yard snap. It’s no different if it’s in the game or if it’s (at practice). You’ve got to take pride in it and expect it to be perfect,” Hammond said. “I really don’t think about it. I think about it as I go out there and do my job and it makes everybody else’s job easier.”
As precise as Hammond has been as a Bulldog snapper, putting the team first has shown to be his biggest attribute.
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Making the rest of his special teams unit look good is his first priority and it goes beyond just the wins and losses for him. For his five years on campus, Hammond has built bonds with his unit that will live after the last snap this year.
“You’re there with them all day every day,” Hammond said. “When you’re in meetings, there’s nine of us so it’s close knit. We’re trying to work and build a relationship where everybody has confidence in each other.”
Saturday at 3:15 p.m., Hammond will run out of the tunnel with those teammates for the final time in his career. His season will end next Friday afternoon in the Battle for the Golden Egg and he’ll hang up his Bulldog uniform for the last time.
It’s a bittersweet goodbye to a place that grew to be so special to the State senior. Starkville and MSU wasn’t home for Hammond as a kid, but it’s helped shape him into the man he’s become.
“I wouldn’t change it for the world,” Hammond said of his time in Starkville. “Growing up, I wasn’t a Mississippi State fan and coming here changed my look at Mississippi State. This is the best place you can come to play.”
