KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee finishes up its season with a top-10 matchup against Clemson in the Orange Bowl on Friday.
Quarterback Hendon Hooker won’t be playing in the game after suffering a season-ending torn ACL injury in the second-to-last game of the season against South Carolina. However, that isn’t stopping him from helping the Vols win this big game.
While recovering from his surgery in Los Angeles, Hooker would attend team meetings via Zoom to be a part of the preparation.
He is also in Miami with the team before the game. He has attended practice and meetings while there and even put in extra work with now-starting quarterback Joe Milton.
“We had to walk through the firmest night in the hotel lobby and when I got to the lobby, Joe was sitting there and Hendon had the call sheet in his hand and Hendon was going through the plays and Joe was making the calls,” said Joey Halzle, Vols quarterbacks coach. “Hendon was like, 'Where are your eyes going here?' He was still coming back from his rehab, working through the call sheet with Joe as before a Monday night walkthrough. It’s pretty special to see. I didn’t even know they were doing it, I just happened to walk up on it.”
Hooker also helped the team prior to their regular season finale against Vanderbilt and attended that game in Nashville, which the Vols won 56-0.
“He’s still here and he’s making sure we perform well as a team,” Halzle said. “It is unique, but he is a unique young man.”
Hooker will be a prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft. He had a remarkable season, leading Tennessee to success it hasn’t seen in years.
The quarterback threw for 3,135 yards, completing 69.6% of his passes and threw 27 passing touchdowns in his final season as a Vol. He also ran for 430 yards and five touchdowns.
He was a finalist for several award watchlists and finished highest in Heisman voting for a Vol since Peyton Manning back in 1997.