What Michigan gets in signing St. Xavier defensive lineman Ted Hammond.

While at the University of Michigan, current Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson wore a Maize and Blue No. 97 jersey as he broke sack records and finished as a Heisman Trophy runner-up.

While Ted Hammond’s No. 97 jersey had a different shade of blue, the St. Xavier senior defensive lineman played the same role of dominating defensive end and secured himself an opportunity to also continue sacking quarterbacks and finding the backfield as a Wolverine at Michigan.

Hammond committed to the Wolverines in January among several other offering programs. The decision to go up north put him in a class of other Buckeye natives to join Michigan, including rival Moeller running back and Ohio Mr. Football Jordan Marshall.

Now that pen has officially met paper and Hammond has signed a National Letter of Intent, here’s a look at how Hammond reached this point.

Ted Hammond's road to signing with the Michigan Wolverines

Hammond was a freshman at St. Xavier when the Bombers won the 2020 Division I Ohio High School Athletic Association state championship. The next season, Hammond was a varsity starter who helped lead the Bombers to the regional semifinals. The sophomore accumulated 32 total tackles with a sack and a fumble recovery that year.

As a junior in 2022, Hammond grew his numbers to 41 tackles (16 solo) with seven tackles for a loss and four sacks across 12 games played. After that season, Hammond received offer after offer, including one Jan. 13, 2023, from the Wolverines. It took less than two weeks for him to announce his commitment to Michigan.

Playing in his senior campaign with the Michigan-commit label, Hammond earned his second first-team All-Greater Catholic League South honor as well as a first-team All-Ohio selection. In 11 games, Hammond accumulated 38 tackles (16 solo) with 3.5 tackles for a loss and one-half of a sack while enduring double and triple team schemes to slow him down.

Hammond, who could have also flexed his size and athletic talents as a tight end, added his only touchdown to his book this fall. Trailing 14-7 in the fourth quarter at St. Ignatius on Oct. 14, the Bombers faced a fourth-and-long at midfield. After lining up for a punt, the Bombers ran a fake where Hammond caught a pass from A.J. Golden and barreled his way for 49 yards and a touchdown.

That score forced overtime where the Bombers pulled out a 21-14 victory. Hammond was the leading receiver for St. Xavier in that game.

How does St. Xavier's Ted Hammond rank as a recruit?

According to the ratings from 247Sports, Hammond’s composite rankings give him a four-star outlook as the No. 16 overall player in the 2024 class in Ohio and the No. 46 defensive lineman in the nation. In the state rankings, Hammond is one spot below Avon offensive lineman Luke Hamilton, one of the four Michigan commits from Ohio in the class, which also includes Marshall and Lakewood St. Edward tackle Ben Roebuck.

Heading into the early signing day, Michigan possessed the No. 16 recruiting class for 2024. Hammond is one of six Michigan commits on the defensive line from the class.

The Wolverines will get Hammond, who went from a listed 6-foot-5 and 250-pound frame as a sophomore to 275 pounds as a senior.

Hammond chose to play at Michigan among offers from other programs like Washington, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Louisville, Kentucky and Cincinnati.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: St. Xavier's All-Ohio defensive lineman Ted Hammond signs to Michigan