For the first time since 1998, the University of Tennessee sits atop the college football rankings thanks in large part to Heisman Trophy front-runner
Hendon Hooker, who was a multi-sport high school star at
Dudley (Greensboro, N.C.).
Since becoming the starting quarterback for Rocky Top last season, Hooker has helped revive one of the most prominent programs in the history of the sport. The 6-foot-4, 218-pound signal caller has thrown 52 touchdown passes against just four interceptions in 21 games over the past two seasons with big wins against Alabama, Florida and LSU along the way.
All eyes will be on Hooker as his Volunteers make the journey to Athens to play No. 3 Georgia tomorrow afternoon on CBS.
Hendon Hooker won two state championships and accounted for 103 touchdowns at Dudley High School in Greensboro. (Photo: Alik McIntosh)
Hooker's unique path has three distinct chapters; Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Dudley, where he started his final three years from 2014-16.
As a freshman at Dudley in 2013, Hooker was the backup for a 15-0 state championship team.
After a sophomore year where Dudley won eight games, the Panthers really took off in the 2015 season. Not only did Hooker throw for 2,234 yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior, he tallied 1,217 yards and 15 touchdowns with his feet as Dudley went to the semifinals of the state playoffs.
The four-star quarterback committed to Virginia Tech prior to his senior year.
In 16 games as a senior, Hooker had 28 passing touchdowns and 27 rushing touchdowns, combining for 3,888 yards while winning his second state championship. He finished his football career with 36 wins as a starter, 6,027 passing yards, 2,975 rushing yards and 103 total touchdowns.
Hooker then wrapped up his 1,000-point basketball career and enrolled at Virginia Tech. He won his first six starts as the starter for the Hokies in 2019. He totaled 15 starts between 2019 and 2020 and went 8-7. He passed for more than 2,800 yards and rushed for an additional 1,033 yards in Blacksburg before entering the transfer portal.
He picked Tennessee, a team that offered him a scholarship in high school but hasn't played in an upper-tier bowl game since the 2000 Fiesta Bowl.
By the second game of the 2021 season, Hooker was in at quarterback and hasn't relinquished the reins since.
The Volunteers went 3-7 the year prior to Hooker's arrival and he immediately got them back to a winning record in 2021 by throwing for 31 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
This season Tennessee jumped into the top 25 in the second week of the season and was in the top 10 a few weeks later. The Volunteers have gone 5-0 against ranked teams this year and Hooker has 21 passing touchdowns and just one interception.
When No. 6 Tennessee hosted No. 3 Alabama on Oct. 15, the entire nation was watching to see if the Volunteers were College Football Playoff contenders.
What Hooker did that afternoon left no doubt. He led Tennessee on a first possession touchdown drive and never let his foot off the gas. The Volunteers scored seven touchdowns in the 52-49 win and Hooker threw for a career-best 385 yards and five touchdowns.
A win tomorrow at No. 3 Georgia would put Tennessee in the driver's seat to win its first SEC Championship since 1998. The Volunteers finish out the regular season with Missouri, South Carolina and Vanderbilt before a postseason that could include the SEC Championship game and the College Football Playoff.
