Hendon Hooker Named to Maxwell Award Watch List

Hooker, who had an impressive second half of the season a year ago, is receiving high praise entering the new year

When Hendon Hooker took over at quarterback for Virginia Tech in 2019, the Hokies were a much different team. The offense took off as Hooker used his legs and big arm to take the offense to another level.

Now, entering his redshirt-junior season, Hooker is garnering some national attention.

On Friday, Hooker was named to the watch list for the Maxwell Award. The Maxwell Award is given annually to the most outstanding player in college football.

The 6-foot-4, 228-pound junior from Greensboro started eight games for the Hokies last fall. He finished with a record of 6-2 and had several big performances. One reason the offense took off under Hooker was because he didn’t turn the ball over. Hooker passed for 13 touchdowns last fall with just two interceptions.

Hooker finished with a 165.8 passer efficiency rating in 2019, while also rushing for 356 yards and five scores.

The ACC features several returning stars at quarterback in 2020. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and North Carolina’s Sam Howell receive most of the headlines. Hooker went toe-to-toe with Howell in Tech’s thrilling win over UNC in October before an injury knocked him out of the game.

Even in a deep quarterback conference, Hooker stands out as one of the conference's best. It will be interesting to see how he plays in his first full season as a starter.

The Hokies return virtually their entire offensive line, wide receivers Tre Turner and Tayvion Robinson, tight end James Mitchell and running back Keshawn King on offense. Therefore, Hooker should be in store for a big season in 2020.