1st and 10 in fourth quarter No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers pass to South Carolina Gamecocks. The ball is snapped and Hendon Hooker rolls out of the pocket and falls to the ground.
Just like that, Hooker’s college career ended with a torn ACL. The Volunteers lost 38-63 in embarrassing fashion in his absence. Weeks later, Hooker is out watching his teammates beat the No. 13 Clemson Tigers in the Orange Bowl.
Hooker was the Heisman favorite before his unforeseen injury, and he’s been overshadowed by talents like C.J. Stroud, Will Lewis, Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson. All quarterbacks with quality talent and upside, but Hooker faced Lewis, Young and Richardson, who outplayed them all last season.
In September, Richardson and the No. 20 Florida Gators lost to the Volunteers 33-38 at Neyland Stadium. Hooker finished with 461 yards and three touchdowns without turning the ball over.
Two weeks later, Tennessee faced the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide, led by Young. The underdog Volunteers crushed the Crimson Tide with a 52-49 shootout win. Notching Tennessee’s first win over Alabama since 2005. Hooker threw for 385 yards and five touchdowns, along with 56 yards on the ground.
Later that month, the No. 19 Kentucky Wildcats and their signal-caller Lewis were hammered 44-6 in Knoxville. The game has never been competitive. Hooker threw three touchdowns for 245 yards through the air. Meanwhile, Lewis completed 16 of 27 passes for just 98 yards with three interceptions and zero touchdowns.
After Tennessee’s massive win over Kentucky, the Volunteers were ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press poll for the first time since 2001. Meanwhile, Hooker was without his leading scorer Cedric Tillman for half the season due to injury. Unexpectedly, paving the way for eventual Fred Biletnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hooker is projected to go in rounds 4-7 this April. Why is that, you may ask?
Critics have lambasted Hooker’s talents under Josh Heupel because of the high tempo and spread offense. They believe Hooker will have to make significant adjustments to keep up with NFL-style offenses.
However, skeptics seem to overlook the fact that Hooker led the nation’s best offense in Knoxville. Furthermore, before entering the league, Patrick Mahomes was in a similar aerial attack system at Texas Tech. This transition can be difficult, but it is not an impossible task.
The truth is Hooker was a very effective quarterback, leading the SEC in passing efficiency ratings in 2021 and 2022. He also led the SEC in completion percentage in 2022 and finished in the top four in passing yards in two seasons with Tennessee. This strong effort earned Hooker the 2022 SEC Offensive Player of the Year award.
As a Volunteer, Hooker finished with 58 touchdowns and five interceptions for 6,080 yards while rushing for 1,046 yards and ten touchdowns, and he went 9-2 as a starter in 2022, leading Tennessee to the Orange Bowl game in both years.
NFL teams will monitor Hooker’s recovery. The untimeliness of the injury is understandably taking a toll on Hooker’s batting stock, but thanks to modern medicine in the sport, there is reasonable optimism for a sustainable recovery.
No matter where Hooker is, his legacy is enshrined in Rocky Top for many years to come. One of the great products of Tennessee’s linebackers alongside talents like Peyton Manning, Tee Martin, Condrej Holloway and Joshua Dobbs.
This young man has a lot of upside with his 6-foot frame and dual skills. Besides being able to spot the ball anywhere on the field. Hooker should be an attractive pick for NFL scouts.
We’ll see when draft day rolls around in April where this draft picks up and what the future holds for his talents in the NFL.
