Ryan Hamilton
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ryan Hamilton (born Ryan J. Hamilton on February 16, 1987) is a safety for the Vanderbilt University Commodores in the NCAA college football tournament. A second-generation star in the making, Hamilton hasn't been the most hyped or most recognized member of the Vandeebilt football team, lingering in the shadows of the likes of Reshard Langford and D.J. Moore. The right ankle injury he sustained during his freshman year didn't help his cause either but Hamilton seemed to take those as a challenge, keeping his game more consistent and stepping up when he is needed the most.
Contents |
[edit] Personal Life
Ryan is the son of Kevin and Debra Hamilton. He is one of the four Hamilton children, along with three sisters and a younger brother. Ryan is not the first in the family to play football as his father, who is a partner at a Philadelphia investment firm, once suited up as a quarterback at the U.S. Naval Academy. Apart from his studies and football, Hamilton is also involved as a volunteer for several Philadelphia-area activities through the SHARE program and has worked with local Special Olympics effort.
[edit] High School
Hamilton played high school football at Council Rock North in Newtown, PA under head coach Mike Ortman. Because of his versatility, Hamilton saw action on both sides of the field, starting as a wide receiver during his junior season before moving to the tight end spot as a senior outside of being a two-year starter at safety. In 2003, he contributed 86 tackles, five interceptions, three sacks and four forced fumbles for the Indians. In his last year at North, Hamilton tallied 77 solo tackles, five interceptions and two sacks on defense and 17 receptions for 297 yards and three TDs on offense as Rock finished with an overall record of 3-7 with a 2-5 league standing.
Among Hamilton's accolades include a spot at the Pennsylvania Football News' 4A All-State team, the Philadelphia Inquirer's All-Area selection, as well as the All-Conference team as a safety. Hamilton was also nominated for the Pennsylvania-Ohio Big 33 All-Star Classic.
[edit] College
A two-star rated prospect, Hamilton received scholarship offers from several schools, including Northwestern, Rutgers, and Central Florida. In the end, he decided to play in the SEC and sign with Vanderbilt.
[edit] 2005
Despite an impressive stint during fall camp, then freshman Hamilton was forced to give way to his more experienced teammates Kelechi Ohanaja and Reshard Langford, a senior and a redshirt freshman respectively. He went on to spend the year on a redshirt.
[edit] 2006
As a redshirt freshman, Hamilton managed to snag one of VU's starting safety spots. He made his collegiate debut at Ann Arbor and made 1 solo and 1 assist as the Commodores bowed to Michigan, 7-27. He also contributed 3 solo stops in the 10-13 loss at Alabama the following week but was demoted to a reserve role in the home-opening loss to Arkansas, relinquishing his starting spot to senior Ben Koger. In the team's first win of the season, he contributed 4 stops off the bench to help defeat Tennessee State, 38-9 then came off the bench for the last time to chip in a solo stop in the 43-14 victory over Temple. He finally got his starting job back at Mississippi after Koger suffered a broken leg the previous game, but the Dores lost to the Rebels, 10-17, with Hamilton contributing four tackles. In Athens, Hamilton came up with a breakout performance when he had six tackles and one forced fumble as the Dores shocked No.16 Georgia, 24-22. His performance against the Dawgs got him the nod as the team's Defensive Player of the Week. He also had three solo tackles each in the loss to South Carolina and in the victory at Duke before picking off his first career interception in the six-point loss to No.7 Florida. At Lexington, Hamilton recorded his first tackle for (3 yards) loss before finishing with a season high 9 stops in the 26-38 setback to Kentucky. He finished his rookie year with six solos and a pass break up in the 17-31 loss to Wake Forest.
Despite playing most of the year with a painful foot ailment that required surgery in January, Hamilton still managed to place fourth in the team in solo tackles (36) and seventh in the squad in total stops (43).
[edit] 2007
The hard-hitting duo of Hamilton and Langford kept their starting jobs in 2007. He made his season debut against Richmond and put up a season high seven solo tackles in the lopsided 41-17 victory. After recording six stops in the team's first setback of the year against Bama, Hamilton went on to match his season high of seven tackles in addition to a pair of pass deflections in the 2-TD victory over Ole Miss. He was down to a season low 3 tackles in the 23-point victory over Eastern Michigan but improved to 4 and 5 stops in losses to Auburn and Georgia, respectively, to go with 2 pass break ups against the Dawgs. At South Carolina, Hamilton racked up six hits including his first career sack for a 4-yard loss, with 1 PBU to help the Dores come up with an 11-point win.
In the team's last win of the season, Hamilton tied his season high of 7 stops with 1-1/2 TFLs in the 24-13 victory over Miami (Ohio). He also recorded identical five tackle performances in losses to No.18 Florida and No.25 Kentucky, had six more in the heartbreaking loss to No.19 Tennessee, then closed out his sophomore year registering his 4th 7-tackle game of the season to go with a QB hurry and a forced fumble in the 17-31 setback to the Demon Deacons to earn his second VU defensive player of the week honors. Hamilton concluded his sophomore campaign as the team's fourth leading tackler (68), while also contributing 3.5 tackles for loss, one quarterback sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and five passes defended.
[edit] 2008
Hamilton opened his junior year with a 5-tackle, 1-PBU effort in VU's 34-13 win over the Redhawks. Against No.24 South Carolina, he tallied 8 tackles, forced a fumble, and recoverd a botched punt to help the Dores upset the Gamecocks, 24-17. Against Rice, he led the team in tackles with a new career high of 11 in the 38-21 victory over the Owls. At Oxford, he put up six stops and established a new career high with a school-record tying three interceptions, including the crucial stop that sealed VU's 23-17 win over the Rebels. His performance against Ole Miss made Hamilton one of the more decorated defensive backs in the nation in 2008, bagging the Football Writers Association of America (Bronko Nagurski) and Walter Camp Foundation National Defensive Player of the Week honors, the SEC Defensive Player of the Week, the USA Today and Athlon Sports Player of the Week accolades, to go with an ESPN SEC Helmet Sticker. His showing, which include a fumble recovery and a 79 interception TD return, automatically placed his name into the 2008 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List.
[edit] Career Stats
| Interception | Tackle | Tackle for Loss | Sacks | Misc | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Int | Yds | TD | Int/G | Solo | Asst | Ttl | TPG | TFL | Yds | TFL/G | Sck | Yds | Sck/G | PBU | QBH | FF | Blk |
| 2006 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.08 | 36 | 7 | 43 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 3 | 0.08 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 48 | 20 | 68 | 5.7 | 3.5 | 10 | 0.29 | 1.0 | 4 | 0.08 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
[edit] Highlights
| Vanderbilt safety Ryan Hamilton delivers a huge hit against a Wildcat rusher. |
[edit] Achievements
[edit] 2008
- Athlon Sports Player of the Week (vs. Ole Miss)
- Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List
- ESPN SEC Helmet Sticker (vs. Ole Miss)
- Football Writers Association of America/Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week (vs. Ole Miss)
- SEC Defensive Player of the Week (vs. Ole Miss)
- USA Today Player of the Week (vs. Ole Miss)
- Walter Camp Foundation National Defensive Player of the Week (vs. Ole Miss)
[edit] 2007
- Vanderbilt Defensive Player of the Week (vs. Richmond, vs. Wake Forest)
[edit] 2006
- Vanderbilt Defensive Player of the Week (vs. Georgia)
