Players to Know for the Tennessee Volunteers: Hendon Hooker
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Tennessee has been anything but stable for the last decade, as they've siphoned through 5 different head coaching hires since 2009. Their winning percentage during that time was just 49% with their best win in that time being against a ranked Northwestern in the Outback Bowl.
So, when Josh Heupel was hired from UCF a lot of people were skeptical of what the future would look like. During his first season, Heupel showed several dynamic flashes and did so by bringing in transfer quarterback Hendon Hooker to run his fast-paced offense.
Hooker came from Virginia Tech where he had a couple of seasons as the starter with an average completion percentage of 63% on 156 attempts with 11 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. When Hooker initially arrived on Tennessee's campus he was considered the backup to another transfer quarterback Joe Milton via Michigan. Once Hooker took the starting role and began showcasing his arm talent it was clear that something unique was being done in Knoxville with Heupel's scheme and pace.
In his first season, Hooker threw for 2,945 yards on 302 attempts with a completion rate of 68.2%, scoring 31 touchdowns. Early on in 2021, the offense ran into issues with procedural penalties while trying to keep up with the relentless pace of Heupel's system. Hooker controls the offense that attempts to spread out defenses, and isolate favorable matchups, and does so by trying to run a play almost every 16 seconds from the opening play script. It's a difficult concept to run as effectively as Hooker does and as the 2021 season progressed it was clear he was evolving as a player in that system.
Hooker's 2022 season has been nothing short of spectacular so far. On the year, Hooker has completed 71.2% of his passes for 21 touchdowns and looks to be on pace for a Heisman-level season. His accuracy down the field has been deadly for opposing teams and against Tennessee's hated rival Alabama it was on full display. Hooker processed the run-pass-option with extreme efficiency and ran well enough to keep drives alive in the top-ranked matchup. He ended up throwing 5 touchdowns for 385 yards against what was considered one of the best defenses in college football.
Hooker's athleticism provides another weapon in this unique concept and it's been extremely efficient. In 2021, Hooker ran for 620 yards for 3.7 per attempt which adds an element of flexibility to an already potent offense. This season Hooker has carried for an average of 4.6 yards per attempt for 338 yards total. Not only on designed plays will he take off if needed but he's also shown that his situational awareness is elite. Hooker knows that using his legs to earn another set of downs is an option and he's done extremely well on punishing defenses that don't adjust.
Hooker provides precision in an offense that thrives on conflicting defense backs in space. He is now able to process the reads with consistency that we did not see in 2021 and against Georgia he will need to have another elite performance. He will have to continue using his two best weapons at receiver Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman to jump out early. It's a game that will ask both teams to play their very best and it's clear Hooker can play well enough to win but this is the biggest challenge he's faced in his career.
Tennessee will travel to Athens this weekend in the most important regular season game of the 2022 season. Both teams understand this game will decide the future of the division, the conference, and possibly the College Football Playoff.
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