Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker will be back in Knoxville in 2022.

Hooker announced on Sunday that instead of entering the NFL draft, he'll return to Tennessee for his final year of eligibility.

But that doesn't necessarily mean that Hooker will be the Vols' starting quarterback next season.

Wait, what?

Trust me — I had the same thought.

On Monday, Buck Reising said during his midday show on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville that he's heard that Vols head coach Josh Heupel didn't promise Hooker the starting job in 2022.

"What I was told is that Josh Heupel in his end of year — whether they're meetings or whatever the case may be — there was a conversation with Hendon Hooker where they basically said you are not guaranteed to be the starting quarterback in 2022 if you return," said Reising, who also hosts A to Z Sports Primetime.

Before anyone overreacts, I don't think this means that Heupel is looking for someone to step up and take the job from Hooker. I think Heupel wanted Hooker back and I think he knows he has something special in Hooker.

But at the same time, competition breeds greatness.

UT quarterback Joe Milton is immensely talented. If he ever puts it all together, he could be the second coming of Cam Newton.

There's also the possibility that Heupel pursues a quarterback in the transfer portal. If we've learned anything in recent years it's that quarterback depth can erode quickly.

And let's not forget about 2022 four-star Vols commit Tayven Jackson, a highly touted quarterback who is the future of the position under Heupel

While it's never wise to expect a true freshman to contribute immediately, it's also not something we can rule out.

Remember, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney benched Kelly Bryant a couple of years ago in favor of true freshman Trevor Lawrence. Bryant led the Tigers to a spot in the College Football Playoff the year before and his job still wasn't guaranteed.

I'm not saying that's what we should expect in 2022 in Knoxville, but I think we're seeing that same approach to the quarterback position from Heupel.

Ultimately, I think that's a good thing. Elite players can't be scared of competition. And Hooker's decision to come back to Tennessee, despite not being promised the starting job, shows he's not at all afraid of competition.

By the way, if I had to bet, I'd wager quite a bit of cash on Hooker being the Vols' starting quarterback in 2022.

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