After Tennessee volunteers lost JT Shrout to the state of Colorado via the transfer portal, they added a new caller to the roster. Former Virginia Tech quarterback Hendon Hooker announced his transfer to Tennessee on social media.
Hooker tweeted a picture of himself in a Tennessee uniform with Neyland Stadium in the background. Hooker also included the caption: “Dream chasing is a profession, those with the job understand the process of manifestation. Dedicated.”
In December, the former Hokies full-back announced he was entering the NCAA transfer portal. A former 247Sports composite four-star recruiter, Hooker started 15 games for Virginia Tech during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, giving 2,894 yards and 22 touchdowns to seven distinctions. He adds 1,033 career years, averaging 4.2 yards per effort and 15 touchdowns on the ground.
Hooker separated time during the 2020 soccer season with Braxton Burmeister, Oregon. Due to a medical problem, Hooker was unable to start the season as the starting quarterback at Virginia Tech, and missed the first two games of the year against NC State and Duke. Hooker performed again in Week 3 during Virginia Tech’s 56-45 loss to North Carolina. After Week 3, Hooker returns to the starting lineup and starts 7 of the remaining eight games according to Virginia Tech’s schedule.
The volunteers do have a few places to fill the quarterback room, even with the highly regarded true freshman Kaidon Salter coming to campus this fall. Just last month, Jarrett Guarantano announced he would not be returning to Knoxville for another season. He will use his final year of qualification elsewhere or declare for the 2021 NFL draft.
In 41 career games in Tennessee, Guarantano, who signed for Butch Jones at the Vols as part of their 2016 recruiting class, he passed 6,174 yards with 38 berths and 17 distinctions, along with five rushing deliveries. His career with the Vols was defined by his ups and downs and his perseverance through a remarkable amount of adversity. During his five seasons in Tennessee, he played for two different head coaches, four different offensive coordinators and four different position coaches.