Hendon Hooker says Tennessee Vols get a lot of disrespect
Former Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker says Tennessee football gets a lot of disrespect
If you're a fan who thinks the Tennessee Vols are disrespected a lot by the media, you're not alone.
Tennessee's players see and feel the disrespect, too.
From Kirk Herbstreit spreading unfound rumors about the locker room, to constant slights from national writers like Dennis Dodd or Pat Forde, it seems like the Vols are always dealing with some form of disrespect.
While at the combine in Indianapolis last week, Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker spoke about the disrespect and how it gives the Vols a little added motivation.
"We play with a chip on our shoulder at Tennessee," said Hooker. "We get a lot of disrespect. So we want to make it clear that we want to come out and dominate day in and day out. The work that we've put in has shown. They (UT's receivers) catch countless amounts of jugs throughout the week. I'd probably say maybe 3,000 balls a week. And that's just jugs alone, that's not catching with me and Joe. Which we're throwing three times a week at the least."
There's no doubt that Tennessee has dealt with a decent amount of disrespect over the years — mostly because the program has gone through numerous coaching changes amid several struggling seasons.
The 2022 Vols, however, thrived off that disrespect. They were at the their best when they were doubted. I think that's part of the reason why their two worst games of the season were against Georgia and South Carolina.
Before the Georgia game, the Vols ascended to No. 1 in the nation. They went from being the hunter to being the hunted.
Before the South Carolina game, no one gave the Gamecocks a chance. Even SC fans resigned themselves to a loss before the game was played. There was zero disrespect for the Vols.
I'm not saying Tennessee was only good because they could use the disrespect as motivation each week. But when the disrespect wasn't there, they lost.
But I like the Vols' approach. I think playing with a chip on your shoulder is the best way to play. Just look at Georgia this past season — they convinced themselves that everyone in the nation thought they were going 7-5 in 2022.
Nick Saban even said at one point last season that he wants his players to "make it personal".
NFL teams do it, too.
Former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow talked about using outside noise as motivation before his Cincinnati Bengals played the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.
"You're going to find any little thing you can," said Burrow before the AFC Championship game. "Whether it helps or it doesn't….I know nobody in that locker room needs any more motivation than what's inside of them. And that's why we're so good. But whenever you can find some little thing externally, you might as well use it."
Using outside noise as motivation is extremely common in sports.
The Vols excelled at it last season. Now they just need to take a page from Georgia's book and make sure they play with a chip on their shoulder even when there's no disrespect to be found.