Tennessee football is almost back. Off The Hook Sports continues its 2022 Vols preseason preview on the top 25 impact players for Tennessee this upcoming season.
The most important player for Tennessee football is redshirt senior quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Past Performance
I mean, could it have been anyone else?
Tennessee fans should have known Hooker was the most important person on the team after his magical second half against Pitt, which was the only reason Tennessee was within one score of winning at the end. Hooker, even with some hiccups and injury concerns, was as impressive as any quarterback in the country last season.
He was a good, not great, quarterback at Virginia Tech before transferring to Tennessee at the start of last season. Head coach Josh Heupel named Joe Milton the starter against Bowling Green and Pitt, but an injury to Milton necessitated Hooker’s entrance in the second half.
The rest is history. Hooker was good for 2,945 yards, 31 touchdowns and just three interceptions in 11 starts his senior season.
He was elite on the ground as well. He led the team in rushing yards gained, scampering for 816 yards and five touchdowns with an average of 50 rushing yards per game.
This adds to his career total of 7,488 total yards of offense with 53 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Hooker has rushed for 20 touchdowns across his career.
The 6-foot-4, 218-pound starting quarterback has scored in 12 straight games heading into 2022, tied for the third longest streak in school history.
Opportunities
It wouldn’t be crazy to call Hooker a borderline Heisman candidate and one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC. He can hit the deep ball, bulldoze a defender as a runner and is smart with the ball in his hands. Perhaps most importantly, Hooker can protect the football when it matters.
Hooker believes he can still get better, specifically in manipulating defenses to his advantage.
“That’s something that I have been trying to implement into my game from last year transitioning, to this year,” Hooker said in spring. “Just studying defenses and studying how they’re thinking and studying their responsibilities helps me in trying to manipulate them or moving them out of spaces, so I can hit guys running in windows or sitting in windows.”
And while he is a capable runner and his determination is a net positive, Hooker could stand to be a little more careful when running in space.
Tennessee is one scary hit away from having a worse offense. Vols fans got a taste of that at the end of the Ole Miss game, though Hooker thankfully returned the following week.
Hear it from…
Where does Hooker see himself improving the most this season? Despite throwing only three interceptions in 2021 and being able to protect the football, Hooker says its his mental game and capitalizing on mistakes.
“Really, the mental aspect of the game,” Hooker said. “Just trying to capitalize on every opportunity I can to get in there with the coaches and go over film, talk through different situations, and just approach the game from a mental standpoint. As a player-coach kind of thing on the field, being in total control of the offense and just being efficient.”
Tennessee’s offense is likely to be very good again in 2022 with Hooker at the head of the show. However, the Vols need to work on extending drives.
The quick playstyle only works if the offense does its part and stays on the field, giving the defense as much of a break as possible. That’s how you should interpret Hooker’s quote: He wants to capitalize on every opportunity a defense gives him.
