Senior Bowl: What Hendon Hooker said about his time with Vols, ACL rehab and NFL meetings
Former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker sat down with Nashville’s 104.5 The Zone on Wednesday at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., talking during a segment on Ramon, Kayla and Will about his time with the Vols, rehab from his torn ACL and his meeting with NFL personnel:
What it means to play at Tennessee
“Just being a VFL and trying to represent everyone who came before us and everyone who is going to come after us. Making sure we set that standard that we’re hard-hat guys. We come in and we want to work and compete and make our mark on any team that we’re on.”
When he knew it was going to be a special season at Tennessee in 2022
“After our first player-led skills and drills (session). I remember getting on the phone with my mother and father and just telling them how special we were going to be this past year. Just the work and the encouragement we got from Coach Heupel and the rest of the coaches. I remember Coach Heup telling everyone we’ve got some extra gear for y’all to come in and get extra work. All throughout the summer I saw a lot of young guys in there catching Jugs or going up and watching film with the GAs or their position coaches. So everyone was just hungry to get better. After that first skills and drills, I saw how hard we competed and how special we were. Not just on offense, but on defense as well. We (the offense) still toasted them everyday, but I saw how special we were and how competitive we were. And I was eager to get out there on game day.”
What Tennessee coach Josh Heupel has meant to him
“That’s my righthand man. Love him to death. Everyday we would come in. When he first got there, he would always look at me and say, ‘Come on, man, smile. Smile and have fun.’ I would be so serious. He would be like smile, have fun, relax. Play your game. I want you to go out there and have fun. That’s what he encourages all of us to do. Just having that confidence from him boosted my confidence and just encouraged me to put confidence into my teammates as well.”
Three Vols to take part in Senior Bowl: Hendon Hooker, Darnell Wright, Byron Young
Tennessee beating Alabama for the first time since 2006
“That was the first time I was actually on the positive side of rushing the field. So that was a treat. I tried not to get trampled. Ran out to the middle of the field for five seconds, I realized how fast the stadium was getting flooded and I just ran to the locker room to celebrate with my teammates and my family in there. It was a surreal moment. We approached that week as pros and as vets in this field of business and we came out on top.”
His rehab process from the torn ACL that ended his senior season
“The process of healing has been great. I remember my first day out of surgery I was bending at 60 percent, so I started my rehab the day after my surgery. Then being able to finally — well, I got to start bending it like this right here after two weeks — walk around, be off my brace, off those crutches, my forearms aren’t burning everywhere I go. So being able to just do the things that I do on a daily basis, and work out total body. Not just my upper body, not just my right leg. Not doing tabletop workouts is what I call them in the training room. Actually being able to move and move around like I want to in the weight room, it’s been fun.”
On Nico Iamaleava and Joe Milton
“Nico is a special kid. I’m excited for his journey and his growth. Coming in and replacing that second quarterback spot is a big step for a freshman. It’s also a blessing. To be able to get those reps in practice and be able to come in, I’m expecting Joe to throw some bombs early and get Nico in there in a couple games. So I’m excited to see his development.”
His relationship with Joe Milton
“I’m excited to watch my man Joe throw that thing around. I told him I’m coming to the spring game in a Joe Milton jersey and he better autograph it or we’re going to have some problems. I’m excited for him, I’m excited for his supporting cast. He’s got some wideouts coming in and we’ve got some weapons coming in also from the transfer portal, also some freshmen. Nico is going to learn a lot from Joe. I’m excited to see him take the reins when Joe is gone after next year.”
Hendon Hooker’s Tennessee career: 7,126 total yards, 68 touchdowns in 24 games
His leadership style, taking over the Tennessee locker room
“I want to connect with everyone on the team. Be able to communicate in my own special way. Have an off-the-field relationship first, and then transition to that football side. I remember getting to Tennessee and everybody was like well, the only football we watch is on CBS at 3:30. You have nice highlights, bro, but you play in the ACC. I’m like OK. I led from winter workouts and just kind of made connections, didn’t really say too much, but brought great energy. When we were having sprints and stuff, I was very competitive, trying to push guys. Then when we got to spring ball, I made a couple linebackers (miss), I broke their ankles. Then they came back to the locker room like, OK, you can play ball.”
His conversations with NFL personnel at the Senior Bowl, meeting with the Tennessee Titans
“It’s been a gauntlet of teams, for sure. You meet with everyone and have a blast talking ball. Meeting with the Titans was really cool. Kind of a surreal moment, for sure, because that was the first team that I talked to in the interview process. So being able to sit down with the head man and talk ball, it’s been a blast.”
Tennessee’s offensive line
“Those are my guys. Go to war for them 100 times out of 100. And they would do the same for me.”
