Perhaps everybody now has the answer.
When reflecting on Tennessee's first football season under Josh Heupel, the lingering question wasn't about the frenzied offensive tempo or the defense being so effective at lost-yardage stops yet so woeful on third downs. It was this: How did Joe Milton ever win the starting quarterback job over Hendon Hooker in the first place?
Allow Volunteers second-year quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle to explain.
"When we first started working with him, Hendon was a guy who was way too far into the business model, where nothing was fun and everything was serious," Halzle said in a news conference earlier this month, "and that wasn't his best way to play. For some guys it is, but not for him, so we had to work on him enjoying the game.
"Now he's having fun. He's enjoying himself and his time out on the field, and that has allowed his talents to take over. He's not tightening himself up with his own mind."
Milton started the 38-6 opening victory over Bowling Green but was inaccurate on deep throws, which plagued him the following week against Pittsburgh, when he sustained a knee injury in the second quarter. That opened the door for Hooker, who rallied the Vols from a pair of two-touchdown deficits but threw a costly interception at the Pitt 17 with 4:52 remaining in the 41-34 loss.
That miscue was hardly a foreshadowing of things to come, as Hooker produced the most efficient season in Tennessee history, completing 206 of 303 passes (68.0%) for 2,945 yards with 31 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Of the 72 Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks who attempted 300 or more passes, Hooker tied for the fewest picks, and he was behind only Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young of Alabama last month on the preseason All-Southeastern Conference team.
His single-season efficiency mark of 181.4 tops Peyton Manning and Heath Shuler in program annals, but could Hooker match or even surpass that standard? He is not lacking for motivation in attempting it.
"The biggest thing I pride myself in is taking care of the ball," the 6-foot-4, 218-pounder said, "because the ball is the team and the team is the school. I want to take care of my school for sure. Getting the ball to the playmakers is my goal.
"I want to see everybody get some shine and have fun as well."
Heupel readily admits he sees an improved player from this time last year and from December's Music City Bowl, a 48-45 overtime loss to Purdue that followed a surprisingly respectable 7-5 regular season given the fallout from the imploded Jeremy Pruitt era.
"At the end of the day, the trust the coaches and players have in him and his leadership and energy are extremely important," Heupel said. "His command of the offense is so extremely important, and it's so much better than it was a year ago. For us and our program, it's certainly a luxury to have a guy who has a lot of time in game situations and has such command in what we're doing.
"We're really excited about what he's done."
Hooker threw nine more touchdown passes last season than he did during his four years combined at Virginia Tech that preceded his decision to transfer into the SEC. He also has rushed for 1,653 yards in his career, including 620 a year ago that yielded five scores.
It's his running, however, that coaches have tried to limit this past offseason.
"I play every play like it's my last play," Hooker said. "Any time I have the ball in my hands, I'm trying to score, but my coaches and my mom do not like that. They ask me to slide more, but I don't know how to slide.
"I'm trying to develop that, because here and at the next level, I need to learn how to slide."
Hooker smiles when discussing his sliding dilemma and smiles when revealing the fact he abruptly lost 20 pounds earlier this summer when his mouth needed five stitches. A former Virginia Tech public relations major who is now pursuing a master of science degree in agricultural leadership, education and communication seems to be tackling life on multiple fronts and enjoying every minute of it.
Not that it was always this way.
"Everything about him when we first got here was tight, and he wasn't showcasing any of his athleticism," Halzle said, "so we had to bend that mind a little bit. This is football. This is fun. You can be serious, but you have to do it in a fun way.
"I watched him play basketball, and he would get a big smile on his face. Nobody could guard him, and I told him I wanted him to play football like he did basketball. When he plays basketball, he knows he's the best player on the court."
Come Thursday night, when the Vols host Ball State before a sea of orange optimism inside Neyland Stadium, Hooker may prove to be the best player on the field at the start of his sixth college year.
"It's wild, but we all have different paths, and this is mine," Hooker said. "I'm going to make the most out of it. I've got a little extra facial hair now and a little extra weight from when I started, but I'm still the same kid from the east side of Greensboro (North Carolina) who wants to do nothing but be a positive light in the community and a positive light in people's eyes."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.