There is one premier award in college football, The Heisman Trophy. Then, there’s another that can often lead to the penultimate prize. Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker is on his way to nabbing both.
Hooker was named the Walter Camp National Player of the Year Award on Sunday. The Walter Camp Award, which is presented at the end of the season, usually leads to The Heisman Trophy Award. That’s not always the case, but it’s a pretty good indicator as to who will nab the sport’s top prize as the nation’s most outstanding player.
Hooker continued the excellence he has shown all season in the Volunteers 38-33 victory over No. 20 Florida. The captain completed 22-of-28 passes for 349 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Hooker was also a threat on the ground, gaining 112 yards rushing and a touchdown.
In total, Hooker logged 461 yards of total offense and became just the second player in program history to accumulate 300 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in the same game. Former Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs is the only other quarterback to accomplish that feat, doing it twice in his Tennessee career.
Hooker becomes the seventh Vol to earn the Walter Camp Player of the Week acclaim and is the first to do so since linebacker Darrell Taylor won defensive honors on Nov. 10, 2018. Hooker is the first UT offensive player to capture the award since Dobbs did it on Nov. 20, 2016, following a win over Missouri.
