Former Vols DL Matthew Butler comments on Hendon Hooker and former teammates reaching the NFL
Former Tennessee Vols defensive lineman Matthew Butler appeared on NFL Network's Good Morning Football this week and he was asked about his former UT teammate, quarterback Hendon Hooker Hooker, who played with Butler in 2021 at Tennessee, was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. Butler was asked […]
Former Tennessee Vols defensive lineman Matthew Butler appeared on NFL Network's Good Morning Football this week and he was asked about his former UT teammate, quarterback Hendon Hooker
Hooker, who played with Butler in 2021 at Tennessee, was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.
Butler was asked about his thoughts on Hooker in the NFL.
"Hendon is a good player and he's an even better dude," said Butler. "I know him very personally and he was drafted for a reason. I hope the best for him. I hope the best for all the guys who came out in this past draft. Obviously, myself and everybody who came out in the draft before and even the draft before that, like Trey Smith. I hope the best for them — within reason of course. When we're playing against them, you know, hoping the best for our team and myself."
"But you know, those are my guys," added Butler. "I'm in great contact with them. There's gonna be guys coming out of Tennessee this upcoming year — I hope the best for them. We're all real close. We built a real camaraderie there at Tennessee. And now I'm just hoping and praying for success for obviously myself and them as well. You know, the next level is what we dreamed of as kids."
It's clear that the relationships built between players at Tennessee last a lifetime.
Butler badly wants to win in the NFL — and that will mean going head-to-head against former Vols from time to time. But it's obvious that he has a lot of love for his former teammates and those who played at Tennessee before him.
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