Tennessee Vols fans just got another big reason to love Hendon Hooker
Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker will go down as a legend at UT for two reasons: His on field playHis incredible character The Greensboro, NC native was amazing on the field for the Vols — completing long passes and creating big plays with his legs when there was seemingly nowhere to go. But what really makes Hooker […]
Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker will go down as a legend at UT for two reasons:
- His on field play
- His incredible character
The Greensboro, NC native was amazing on the field for the Vols — completing long passes and creating big plays with his legs when there was seemingly nowhere to go.
But what really makes Hooker special is his character. There might not be a better role model in college football than Hooker. And we got another example of that this week via a story from Vols quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle.
Hooker won't play in the Orange Bowl against Clemson due to the torn ACL he suffered in Tennessee's loss to South Carolina last month. But he's still with the team. And according to Halzle, Hooker has been helping Joe Milton, the starter against Clemson, with game preparation this week.
"When I get here (to Miami), we had a walk-through the first night in the hotel and when I got to the lobby, Joe was sitting and Hendon had the call sheet and Hendon was going through the plays and Joe was making the calls," said Halzle on Wednesday. "Hendon was like 'where are your eyes going here'. So Hendon's still, coming back from his rehab, working through the call sheet with Joe before a Monday night walk-through."
"That's the type of guys you got there," added Halzle. "It's pretty special to see. I didn't even know they were doing it. I just happened to walk up on it."
"He (Hooker) could've just said 'I'm done with it', but he's still here," added Halzle. "And he's wanting to make sure we perform well as a team. Which is unique. But he's a unique young man."
Halzle also noted that while Hooker was having surgery in Los Angeles to repair his torn ACL, he was joining Tennessee's quarterbacks meetings via Zoom.
Hooker is a special football player, but more than that, he's a special person. The same goes for Milton, too. It would've been easy for Milton to be bitter after losing the starting job to Hooker. But instead, he stayed at Tennessee and became one of Hooker's biggest supporters. Milton also developed into a key team leader for the Vols.
If you're questioning Tennessee's culture after seeing the way Hooker and Milton have handled a potentially awkward situation, then you might need to take a step back and reevaluate some things. The Vols' culture is as good as it gets.
Featured image via Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
