This story was released or posted on 7/16/2021, so I'd assume it's been posted on VQ already. However, I ran a search under PFF and found nothing. I HATE posting OLD news or news that's already been discussed, but I read a Pro Football Focus article stating Hendon Hooker would be our starting QB and stated why. Although I disagree with their prediction, I'm waiting to see who Heupel & OC Golesh selects.
So if it's been posted already, accept my apologies.
From TOS:
PFF has Hooker as Tennessee's starting quarterback and ranks him 29th as part of the third tier ("The Good, Not Great") in its rankings.
The 6-foot-4, 218-pound Hooker, who started 15 games the past two seasons at Virginia Tech, was perhaps Tennessee's steadiest performer at quarterback during spring practice, when he shared reps with Bailey and Maurer. Hooker is a former Top247 prospect from North Carolina who won his first six starts for the Hokies in 2019, when he accounted for 18 touchdowns (13 passing, five rushing) with just two interceptions. Last season he had nine touchdown passes and nine interceptions, but averaged 8.9 yards per attempt and added 620 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.
Here is PFF's explanation for picking Hooker as Tennessee's starter and his ranking:
(Photo: Tennessee Athletic Communications)
Tennessee's roster was gutted via the transfer portal but has some potential with the combination of new head coach Josh Heupel and Virginia Tech transfer Hendon Hooker. The dual-threat quarterback enjoyed plenty of success with the Hokies, aided by play-action passes and his impact in the rushing game.
Hooker’s passing grade on play-action drop backs was nearly 30 grading points higher than it was on straight drop backs (85.9 versus 57.0) in 2020, and his completion rate differential led all FBS quarterbacks (+13.5%). Heupel led a UCF offense that dialed up play action at a top-10 rate in 2020 (45%), with many of the resulting passes targeting go-routes down the sideline. Hooker won't consistently hit those nine routes as often as Heupel’s last quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still be a good quarterback for the Volunteers.
Hooker, who is listed as a redshirt senior but has up to two years of eligibility remaining, won the first six starts of his Virginia Tech career, in the process setting a program record by attempting 124 passes before throwing his first interception. He ended up leaving the Hokies with an 8-7 record as a starter after a 2-5 mark in 2020. Over the past two seasons, he completed 63% of his passes for 2,894 yards with 22 touchdown passes and seven interceptions while adding 1,033 yards on 247 carries and 15 touchdowns on the ground.
Though he had just one 300-yard passing game at Virginia Tech, Hooker threw three touchdown passes in a game three times, including against Liberty last season, and rushed for three scores in wins against Boston College and Louisville last season. He set a career-high with 164 rushing yards against the Eagles and went 10-of-10 passing against the Cardinals. His career-high in passing is 311 yards against Virginia in 2019, when he also tossed three touchdowns in each of his first two starts at Miami and against Rhode Island.
In terms of career starts, Hooker is Tennessee's most experienced quarterback, but Milton (started five games at Michigan in 2020), Bailey (started the final three games of the 2020 season for the Vols) and Maurer (started four games as a freshman in 2019) all bring starting experience to the competition as well.
Again I'm not a fan of the "prediction", but I'll accept whoever Heupel selects.
GO VOLS!!
So if it's been posted already, accept my apologies.
From TOS:
PFF has Hooker as Tennessee's starting quarterback and ranks him 29th as part of the third tier ("The Good, Not Great") in its rankings.
The 6-foot-4, 218-pound Hooker, who started 15 games the past two seasons at Virginia Tech, was perhaps Tennessee's steadiest performer at quarterback during spring practice, when he shared reps with Bailey and Maurer. Hooker is a former Top247 prospect from North Carolina who won his first six starts for the Hokies in 2019, when he accounted for 18 touchdowns (13 passing, five rushing) with just two interceptions. Last season he had nine touchdown passes and nine interceptions, but averaged 8.9 yards per attempt and added 620 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.
Here is PFF's explanation for picking Hooker as Tennessee's starter and his ranking:
Tennessee's roster was gutted via the transfer portal but has some potential with the combination of new head coach Josh Heupel and Virginia Tech transfer Hendon Hooker. The dual-threat quarterback enjoyed plenty of success with the Hokies, aided by play-action passes and his impact in the rushing game.
Hooker’s passing grade on play-action drop backs was nearly 30 grading points higher than it was on straight drop backs (85.9 versus 57.0) in 2020, and his completion rate differential led all FBS quarterbacks (+13.5%). Heupel led a UCF offense that dialed up play action at a top-10 rate in 2020 (45%), with many of the resulting passes targeting go-routes down the sideline. Hooker won't consistently hit those nine routes as often as Heupel’s last quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still be a good quarterback for the Volunteers.
Hooker, who is listed as a redshirt senior but has up to two years of eligibility remaining, won the first six starts of his Virginia Tech career, in the process setting a program record by attempting 124 passes before throwing his first interception. He ended up leaving the Hokies with an 8-7 record as a starter after a 2-5 mark in 2020. Over the past two seasons, he completed 63% of his passes for 2,894 yards with 22 touchdown passes and seven interceptions while adding 1,033 yards on 247 carries and 15 touchdowns on the ground.
Though he had just one 300-yard passing game at Virginia Tech, Hooker threw three touchdown passes in a game three times, including against Liberty last season, and rushed for three scores in wins against Boston College and Louisville last season. He set a career-high with 164 rushing yards against the Eagles and went 10-of-10 passing against the Cardinals. His career-high in passing is 311 yards against Virginia in 2019, when he also tossed three touchdowns in each of his first two starts at Miami and against Rhode Island.
In terms of career starts, Hooker is Tennessee's most experienced quarterback, but Milton (started five games at Michigan in 2020), Bailey (started the final three games of the 2020 season for the Vols) and Maurer (started four games as a freshman in 2019) all bring starting experience to the competition as well.
Again I'm not a fan of the "prediction", but I'll accept whoever Heupel selects.
GO VOLS!!
