RENO, Nev. – For the first time in his career, Nevada senior defensive end Sam Hammond has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District first team.
This is the first academic all-district honor for Nevada since Lucas Weber earned the distinction in the fall of 2019. There have been just seven total, including Hammond, to earn the honor from Nevada. He is one of 10 to receive the recognition from around the Mountain West.
Hammond, a former walk-on from Yerington, has been with the Wolf Pack since his true freshman season in 2016. During his time at Nevada he has earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and is currently pursuing a master’s in business administration with a perfect 4.0 GPA in graduate school.
During the 2020 season Hammond posted an all-conference caliber campaign as he earned All-Mountain West second team honors. He led the team, and was ninth in the Mountain West, with 7.5 tackles for loss, and was second the team in sacks with 4.0 in eight games this year. Overall, he recorded 32 tackles (fourth on the team) and broke up a pair of passes. With one year of eligibility remaining, Hammond has totaled 85 tackles, 11.5 of which have gone for a loss, and 6.5 sacks in his career.
This award recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CoSIDA Academic All-America program separately recognizes football honorees in four divisions – NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Academic All-District honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team ballot, where first and second team All-America honorees will be selected in late June.
