Josh Heupel reflects on what Hendon Hooker meant to Tennessee the last 2 seasons
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
As Tennessee concluded its first 11-win campaign since 2001, head coach Josh Heupel showed love to his starting quarterback whose spectacular season was halted due to injury.
Hendon Hooker was a vital reason why Tennessee qualified for the Orange Bowl in which they defeated Clemson 31-14. The senior amassed 3,135 yards, 27 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions along with a QBR of 89.3 before sustaining an ACL injury vs. South Carolina on Nov. 19.
Hooker guided Tennessee to a 9-1 mark before exiting that game, including a monumental victory vs. Alabama. Heupel is effusive in his praise for what Hooker has meant to Tennessee.
“Well, the fact that he’s committed to this program and to his teammates, to Joe in some ways, that he wants to be a part of this experience, that he wants to finish his legacy here the right way, I think it speaks to everything of who he is,” Heupel said. “This program has climbed — this is not taking away from anybody else inside of the building, me included, this doesn’t happen without Hendon. I say that meaning — these guys would say it, too. He’s special.”
Heupel added that having an extension of the coaching staff such as Hooker for the past 2 seasons was a blessing.
“As you build a program, you’ve got to have somebody that’s selling your message from inside that lives that message every day and gets the locker room headed in the right direction, and Hendon wasn’t the only guy that did that, but he certainly was spearheading it,” Heupel said. “There were a lot of guys that started moving us in the right direction from the inside out.”
