When Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker didn’t go through senior day festivities before the Neyland Stadium finale against Vanderbilt on Nov. 27, fans of the Volunteers were hoping that was a good sign.
It was.
The fifth-year senior and graduate transfer from Virginia Tech announced Sunday afternoon on social media that he would be using the extra season of eligibility allowed by the NCAA due to last year’s outbreak of the coronavirus. The 6-foot-4, 218-pounder turns 24 years old next month.
“Looking forward to many more,” Hooker posted on Twitter. “Let’s run it back.”
Hooker’s story has been among the more remarkable in the Southeastern Conference this year. A backup at the start of the season who received a battlefield promotion in the second game against Pittsburgh due to a Joe Milton injury, Hooker helped spearhead Tennessee to an unexpected 7-5 regular season and heads into the Music City Bowl as the league’s most efficient passer with a 182.15 rating.
The Greensboro, North Carolina, resident has completed 180 of 261 passes (69.0%) for 2,567 yards with 26 touchdowns and only three interceptions. His efficiency rating is on track to set a single-season program record.
“Let’s go to work!” Vols offensive coordinator Alex Golesh posted on Twitter after Hooker’s announcement.
Before Tennessee’s 52-24 loss at Alabama on Oct. 23, Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy mentioned Hooker, sixth-year senior receiver Velus Jones Jr. and senior cornerback Alontae Taylor as candidates for his all-star spectacle in early February in Mobile, Alabama. Nagy described Taylor as “maybe the most physical cornerback” in this year’s class and said Jones was “peaking at the right time.”
Nagy said Hooker was “making a late push” for the Senior Bowl and ultimately invited Taylor and Jones.
Also on Sunday, the Vols collected their second commitment for the 2023 recruiting cycle, receiving a nonbinding pledge from four-star tight end Ethan Davis (6-4, 215) out of Collins High School in the Atlanta suburb of Suwanee.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.