Tennessee CB Colton Hood named Thorpe award semifinalist

Tennessee transfer cornerback Colton Hood has been named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award honoring the nation’s best defensive back. 

Hood is the third defensive back in the last four years to make the semifinalist cut. Jermod McCoy was a semifinalist a year ago and Trevon Flowers was a semifinalist in 2022. McCoy has yet to play this year as he recovers from a torn ACL.

Hood, transferred from Colorado in May and has been the most consistent and productive defensive back for the Vols all season.

Hood has started all eight games and is tied for third in the SEC in pass breakups with seven. He also has 23 tackles, four tackles for loss, one interception and two defensive touchdowns to his credit.

Hood, a native of McDonough, Georgia, became the first SEC player with an interception return and a fumble return for a touchdown in the same season since 2019.

Hood has been one of the top defensive backs in the SEC all season which is one of 15 finalists nationally for the award. Hood admits he’s not surprised at how he has transitioned to Tennessee as he has always believed in himself.

“Confidence is everything,” Hood said. “You can have the best technique. You can be fast, but if you aren’t confident out there it doesn’t matter, especially when you are playing cornerback. It’s really you. It’s you and the rest of the field. You have to cover him where ever he goes. It’s really I know I am better than you, you have to come show me, come out on that island.

“A lot of corners play not to get beat. I play to make plays. That’s who I am. That’s how I was raised to be. So I am never worried about someone beating me because first the amount of work I have put in. The amount of time I have put in throughout the week watching film. So based on alignments and splits I know what I’m going to get from certain guys. When you do all of that and hone in on your technique there’s no reason to be scared. When it comes to speed, I think I’m one of the fastest guys too.” 

Hood and the Vols return home this weekend to take on Oklahoma in a key SEC showdown for both teams.