After a season to remember, Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker is moving on.
After declaring for the NFL Draft in a Players Tribune article Friday, Hooker reflected in a tweet on a memorable two-year run in Knoxville cut short by a torn ACL.
“Two years ago, the people of Tennessee took in a graduate transfer quarterback looking to make his mark. I am proud of the legacy we leave behind,” Hooker wrote. “As many of my teammates and I begin the next chapter in the NFL, just know this, we’ll always be Volunteers.”
Hooker transferred to Tennessee in January 2021 after a three-year career at Virginia Tech. Hooker threw 31 touchdowns against just three picks in his first season for Tennessee. The Volunteers improved from 3–7 in 2020 to 7–6, reaching the Music City Bowl.
In 2022, Hooker made a quantum leap, tossing 27 touchdowns against two interceptions before his season-ending injury against South Carolina on Nov. 19. Following his lead, Tennessee won 11 games for the first time since ’01.
“I won’t sit here and pretend this season is ending how I hoped it would end … but I’m still very proud of what we accomplished,” Hooker wrote Friday. “And when I try to think of a way to put that in words, we matter now is what I keep coming back to. It’s like: If you’re trying to tell the story of this season, you can’t leave Tennessee out.”
After the season, Hooker was named the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Year and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
