37 DAYS TO 2026 KICKOFF: Robert Hammond III

BOCA RATON, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 23: Robert Hammond III #37 of the Toledo Rockets scores a field goal against the Louisville Cardinals during the first half of the 2025 Bush's Boca Raton Bowl of Beans game at Flagler Credit Union Stadium on December 23, 2025 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images) | Getty Images

#37 Robert Hammond III

Redshirt Junior | 6-1 | 182 lbs. (+4) | West Palm Beach, Florida

Position: Kicker

Previous Colleges: Florida Atlantic University; University of Toledo

Projection: Starter (Kickoffs)

Remaining Eligibility: 2 years

Status: Preferred Walk-On

Robert Hammond III  (b. Sept. 28, 2004) is a transfer kickoff specialist, most recently from Toledo, who followed his special teams coach , Stanton Weber , to Manhattan. He is majoring in business management.

Last season, Hammond played in all 13 games as the primary kickoff man for the Rockets, while he also served as their place kicker in the Boca Raton Bowl. He averaged 62.9 yards on 71 kickoffs with 43 touchbacks, leading the Mid-American Conference in kickoff average, touchbacks and touchback percentage (60.6%).

Hammond had a career-high average of 65.8 yards against Akron, which was only possible due to the fact that he had a 90-yard touchback after kicking off from the 10-yard line due to two personal foul penalties!

It is believed to be the longest kickoff in school history and it went 82 yards in the air, bouncing at the Zips’ 8-yard line and rolling into the end zone for a touchback. (I think it’s clear he was brought in to kick off for us.)

He went 8 for 8 on touchbacks against Western Kentucky and 7 for 8 on touchbacks against Morgan State, also had six touchbacks in seven tries against Northern Illinois, and made a pair of field goals against Louisville in the Boca Raton Bowl — including a 50-yarder — while he also had four touchbacks on five kickoffs in the bowl game.

Prior to his time in Toledo, Hammond redshirted in 2023 and did not see any playing time in 2024 at FAU.

He prepped under head coach Matt Dubuc at Cardinal Gibbons Catholic High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was regarded as the 35th-best kicker nationally in the Class of 2023 by Kohl’s Kicking .

Hammond earned all-state honors as both a junior and senior; tallied a Chiefs school record with 57 consecutive extra points made, while he had a career-long field goal of 53 yards; and totaled 62 touchbacks on 91 kickoffs (68.1%) with an average of 58.0 yards. He also competed in volleyball in high school.

Hammond originally committed to Tom Herman and Florida Atlantic as a preferred walk-on over scholarship offers from Air Force, Army, Elon and Tennessee State, as well as recruiting interest from Florida, Florida International, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Liberty, Memphis, South Florida and Temple.

When he transferred to Toledo, he did so over scholarship offers from Florida A&M, UTEP and Wagner.

Fun fact about Hammond: He plays the guitar as a hobby.

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →