Josh Heupel: Quarterback competition benefitte Hendon Hooker, Joe Milton

Head coach Josh Heupel was faced with a tough decision in his first season at the helm of the Tennessee Volunteers, choosing between Michigan transfer Joe Milton and Virginia Tech transfer Hendon Hooker as the Volunteers’ starting quarterback.

Heupel at first played his cards close to his chest, creating a quarterback competition at Tennessee that was kept under wraps throughout the preseason. Eventually, he rolled with Milton — a decision that Heupel quickly walked back on. Though an injury to Milton is what forced the initial change to Hooker, the former Hokies quarterback has shined in his appearances thus far, and Tennessee will continue to use Hooker under center against No. 13 Ole Miss this weekend.

Months after the quarterback competition, Heupel said on Wednesday’s SEC Coaches’ Teleconference that the competition actually benefitted both Hooker and Milton in their developments under center.

“The competition inside of your building and inside of your position group is the most important thing you have as a coach because it is a great motivating factor for them,” Heupel said of Hooker, Milton and the Tennessee quarterback competition. “It pushes them when they’re on the practice field, it pushes them when they’re in the meeting rooms, they’re constantly in a competitive environment. But it also pushes them when you’re not around as a coach.”

It certainly didn’t go as planned for Milton, who completed just 46 percent of his passes for 243 yards and one touchdown in his two starts. Hooker, on the other hand, has been a much different story in Heupel’s offense. The Greensboro, North Carolina, native has been excellent since taking over as Tennessee’s starting quarterback, completing 69% of his passes for 1,063 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and just one interception. Hooker has been impactful on the ground, too, rushing 66 times for 282 yards and three more touchdowns.

“[Competition] forces them to make good, smart, right decisions when they’re not around you,” Heupel continued. “I think we use the phrase ‘iron sharpens iron’ around here, and the strength of one position group can never be just one guy. They found ways to make each other better. That’s in competing with each other and it’s also in supporting each other, too. They do a great job of helping each other out during the course of the week in preparation.”

Hooker’s performance for Tennessee has solidified him a spot atop the NCAA leaderboards, despite not starting the first couple games. He currently ranks fifth in the NCAA in passer efficiency, scoring 185.89, and leads the entire SEC in that category. This week, Hooker and Heupel’s Tennessee Volunteers will play host to an explosive Ole Miss offense led by Matt Corral, whose 185.89 passer efficiency rating slots him sixth in the country, one position below Hooker.