Tennessee's highest Heisman finisher since Peyton Manning, still chasing a real NFL opportunity after a torn ACL derailed his draft stock.
Hendon Hooker was one of the most electric quarterbacks in college football before a torn ACL ended his final Tennessee season and clouded his path to the NFL. Originally drafted by Detroit, Hooker has bounced between practice squads and brief roster stints across several teams while looking for a real shot to play.
Path to the league
Hooker transferred to Tennessee in 2021 and turned into one of the sport's most efficient passers, finishing fifth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2022, the highest finish by a Volunteer since Manning was runner-up in 1997. A torn ACL suffered in a Week 11 game against South Carolina in 2022 ended his college career and pushed him down draft boards; the Detroit Lions still selected him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, No. 68 overall.
Career highlights
In his lone full college season as a starter, Hooker completed 69.6 percent of his passes for 3,135 yards with 27 touchdowns against just two interceptions while also rushing for 430 yards and five scores, earning SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors. He owned Tennessee's single-season completion percentage record and threw a touchdown pass in 20 consecutive games. In the NFL, he has seen only limited action, completing 6 of 9 passes for 62 yards in three appearances with Detroit during the 2024 season.
2025 season recap
Hooker was waived by Detroit in August 2025 and spent the year bouncing between practice squads, first with Carolina for the season's first ten weeks and then with the Jets for the final three weeks, without appearing in a regular-season game. He signed with the Titans as a free agent in April 2026, joining a Tennessee quarterback room that also includes Cam Ward, Will Levis and Mitchell Trubisky.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Hendon Hooker
- Pro Football Reference: Hendon Hooker
Statistics
2025 season and career▶Passing · career
| Year | Team | GP | CMP | ATT | YDS | TD | INT | RTG | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | lions | 3 | 6 | 9 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 86.3 | 39.3 |
▶Rushing · career
| Year | Team | GP | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | lions | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0.4 | 0 | 3 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Quarterback
- Group
- offense
- College
- Tennessee
- Hometown
- Greensboro, NC, USA
- Age
- 28
- Status
- active
