Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker is quickly becoming the most significant Tennessee football player in over a decade.

It’s not that Hooker is just a good quarterback, which he is. However, Hooker is doing more than just taking snaps and throwing passes. Hooker is garnering regional awards and national recognition while leading Tennessee on a path that the Vols haven’t been on in years.

Some thought Tennessee was rebuilding under former coaches Derek Dooley, Butch Jones or Jeremy Pruitt. We have since learned that wasn’t the case. To be truthful, no unbiased follower of the program ever really thought that those coaches could actually return Tennessee to its past glory. Josh Heupel has another feel about him. He truly seems to be on the path to returning the Vols to respectability and perhaps beyond. Heupel has some innate qualities that his immediate predecessors did not. He’s a great schematic coach and his players always play hard for him. That can’t be said for Dooley, Jones or Pruitt. Tennessee hasn’t had that direction since 2009 when Lane Kiffin was a 1-year wunderkind. Hooker is right in the middle of Tennessee’s new direction.

It’s become almost routine to see Hooker receive weekly awards and recognition from various organizations. The SEC and Davey O’Brien Award committee have taken notice. Hooker isn’t the first really good player since 2009 to don the orange and white. There have been others that thrived despite any leadership from their coaches. Quarterback Tyler Bray, defensive end Derek Barnett, linebacker AJ Johnson and running back Alvin Kamara are just some of the examples of high-level players that the Vols have had with little to no leadership from previous coaching staffs. Those players were misused at Tennessee but have since been good enough to have solid professional careers. In the case of Kamara, he is a well-known star in the NFL. However, all of those talented players were never in a position to help the Vols rebuild. That’s not their fault. That’s coaching.

That’s what sets Hooker apart. He is playing at a high level for a program that is definitely on the rise. There was hope with Tennessee’s previous coaches, most notably entering Jones’ 4th season in 2016, but there are solid reasons to believe Heupel is better than them. Heupel has a pitiful roster, yet the Vols tend to bounce back when they don’t play well and have challenged some of the SEC’s best teams as well as anyone. The only fair criticism of Heupel to this point is that he started the season with Joe Milton III at quarterback instead of Hooker. That was a mistake. No coach is perfect. Hooker has the job and it’s full steam ahead.

Hooker’s likeability has also made him a fan favorite. There’s nothing wrong with advocating barbeque as part of an NIL agreement. Everyone likes barbeque and everyone likes making money. Hooker, however, is using his NIL power to tout children’s books with Bible verses to help young athletes. Moreover, he’s not just promoting the books. He’s in them. That should continue his solid standing as a fan favorite, especially when some of those books are unwrapped on Christmas morning. Those memories won’t fade anytime soon. The books will be keepsakes for years.

After much thought, I believe Hooker is the most impactful player in a good situation that has played for Tennessee since Eric Berry. And that’s an incredibly strong claim. Berry was the face of Tennessee’s program in 2009 even though he probably didn’t want to be. The Vols didn’t have a superstar other than Berry as they were rebuilding under Kiffin. There wasn’t a bona fide quarterback, especially early in the season, for the media to go to in order to get a feel for UT’s program. Jonathan Crompton eventually became that player, but he never said too much to the media. That was by design. Crompton was never going to give out any secrets or bulletin board material. He was too smart for that. He also probably felt a bit jilted by Tennessee’s fan base that once tossed him aside then came to appreciate him during his renaissance during the second half of his senior season.

In the meantime, Berry was the face of that program since he was one of the elite players in the nation. Berry was used in a number of different ways to help the Vols rebuild and try to become championship contenders. The Vols were on their way. Then, that whole Kiffin thing happened.

As for Hooker, he will be considered a realistic Heisman Trophy candidate next season if he continues to improve. He’ll also be a draw for players that enter the transfer portal. That’s a pretty huge turnaround for the former Virginia Tech player who had trouble staying on the field for various reasons. Hooker is a senior but most expect him to return for his final season of eligibility next season. As good as things are for Hooker, they will very likely get better.

Hooker is doing the same thing for the Vols right now as they prepare for South Alabama on Saturday. He’s a beacon of optimism for Tennessee’s program. He’s keeping the Vols in national conversations that they haven’t been a part of in years. Also — most importantly – Hooker is really good. That’s why he’s the most significant Vol in over a decade — and it really isn’t even close.