Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker was once a cast-off. Now, he’s a Heisman Trophy candidate. That’s quite a transition in less than two years.
Hooker played well at Virginia Tech before former Hokie coach Justin Feunte and Hooker didn’t see eye-to-eye on an illness. Hooker underwent a heart procedure before the season and his family claimed that the medicine he took for the procedure caused a reaction that limited his ability to play later in the year. Fuente said Hooker was just “cold” in late-season games. Heartless? Yes. However, no matter who was at fault, Fuente made it readily apparent by his comments that he had lost faith in Hooker.
“I think it destroys the confidence of your player,” former Tennessee quarterback Heath Shuler said of such a circumstance. “I don’t know what that coach is doing now. I don’t know what his name even is, but Hendon Hooker is a household name now.”
True. For the record, Fuente is unemployed.
Shuler knows what it’s like to lose the backing of his team. That’s what happened when Shuler was playing for the Washington Redskins. The team, now known as the Commanders, had no patience for Shuler when as he was trying to battle through injury.
Before that injury, Shuler was a nimble, fast, athletic quarterback that would have probably been a better fit for today’s NFL than he was in the 1990’s. The similarities between Shuler and Hooker are obvious. Both have poise in the pocket, make quick decisions and can run.
“I think when he sees an opening, he can utilize his legs and hopefully I was poised in the pocket as well,” Shuler said. “I think his composure that he keeps in the pocket, I think that goes towards his toughness. If you’re moving your feet all the time, that means you’re always worried about who is going to hit you, but I think he’s just really poised and sits in the pocket.
“When he sees an opening based upon the coverage, he knows when he can run and pick up a lot of yardage so, not only has he been able to throw with his arm…Some of the most important first downs that we’ve had all season long have come from his ability to run.”
If Hooker reminds you of Shuler, there’s another reason why. Tennessee didn’t run anything like Josh Heupel’s offense in the early 1990’s, but getting the ball out fast was a staple of former UT offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe, who coached Shuler and a couple of Mannings.
“There are some similarities in the offense, not from a high-tempo standpoint, but really the fast-break idea of don’t hold the ball,” Shuler said. “There’s not a lot of play-action passes. You want to get the ball out fast. Cutciffe’s offense was very similar. If they gave us a quick gain, let’s take it. If not, then let’s try to hit them deep. I think there’s a lot of similarities in the offenses.
Everybody thinks that Tennessee is a passing offense. Well, we do pass a lot but I think we’re a very balanced offense. If you look at it statistically, we run the ball very effectively. When you have that type of balance, that’s the key to success offensively.”
The strongest comparison between the two players is the ability to throw a long, high-arching deep ball that makes things easier on the Vols’ receivers.
“You can practice it, no doubt, but I think there’s that certain gift that God gives you of talent that gives you that ability to throw the ball because it’s not a thought process, it’s a feel,” Shuler said. “I think what Hendon does often is he puts the ball up where his receivers can adjust. It’s not a flat throw so the more arch you can put on the football, the better.”
It’s widely agreed upon that Hooker throws one of the best deep passes in the nation. Not bad for a cast-off.
