Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker gained a lot of fans this season with his spectacular play. They paid respect to the QB after he suffered a lower-body non-contact injury in the fourth quarter of the team's 63-38 loss to South Carolina and didn't return.
Absolutely BUMMED for Hendon Hooker
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 20, 2022
I really hope Hendon Hooker is ok. I hate seeing kids get hurt. He is a special talent
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) November 20, 2022
we love you, brother!! @henhook2
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) November 20, 2022
Hendon Hooker is pure class and impossible not to root for. The way he went down and it being a non contact injury I fear that’s an ACL. Man that stinks.
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) November 20, 2022
If Hendon Hooker is done, I hope he knows what he has meant to VolNation. In my opinion, he will go down as a Tennessee legend.
— John Dunn (@JxhnDunn) November 20, 2022
He has helped spearhead the resurgence of the Tennessee football program. We love ya, buddy. #VFL
Don’t care who you root for. That’s heartbreaking to see @henhook2 gingerly walking to the locker room. That kid is everything that’s right about college sports.
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) November 20, 2022
Hendon Hooker always did right by Tennessee...committed to the program and stayed through the coaching change, lost a quarterback battle then eventually played his way to QB1, and led them on one heck of a ride this season.
— Jordan Crammer (@JordanCrammer) November 20, 2022
No one deserves injury. But especially him.
The loss puts an end to Tennessee's playoff hopes. Even worse is the game potentially serving as Hooker's swan song. The fifth-year senior entered November as the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy and his NFL draft stock rising to the level of him being considered a first-round talent.
Hooker is 229-of-329 (69.6 percent) for 3,135 and 27 touchdowns with two interceptions this season.
Losses to Georgia and South Carolina put a dent in his Heisman candidacy and depending on the severity of the leg injury, his draft stock could be greatly impacted.
It would be unfair for Hooker's college career to end on such a sour note. Because of his play this year, we witnessed both what makes this sport so much fun to watch and also what makes it difficult.
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