Hendon Hooker details turning the page from ACL injury at Tennessee

Hendon Hooker went through quite the process after he tore his ACL at Tennessee last season. The Detroit Lions rookie quarterback is in the middle of rehab.

Right now, he just wants to get healthy for the season and contribute as much as possible. It still remains to be seen when he could fully return to the football field.

Hooker joined SEC This Morning Monday to detail how he had to flip his mentality right after his injury amid a Heisman-worthy season.

“Yeah, it was tough,” Hooker said. “I think that night, me and Joe kind of sit down on our couch, and a couple of rest of my my teammates came through and then we just had a discussion and everyone was high in spirits and looking forward to their next game and I was just motivating those guys to go out and finish where we started.

“No matter what had happened the previous day or that previous game, let’s continue to do what we do and prepare the right way.”

It’s refreshing to see Hooker pivot immediately and turn towards supporting his teammates rather than sulk. It’d be rather easy to do so after seeing a season taken away in an instant.

Tennessee finished the season with an Orange Bowl victory over Clemson led by quarterback Joe Milton.

During his final season at Tennessee, prior to the injury, Hooker was well on his way to being a Heisman finalist. He had 3,135 yards, 27 touchdowns, two interceptions, a 69.6% completion percentage, 430 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.

Over the course of two years with the Volunteers after a transfer from Virginia Tech, Hooker threw for 6,080 yards, 58 touchdowns, five interceptions, a 68.8% completion percentage and had 1,046 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.

“If he didn’t have a great work ethic, he wouldn’t be here. He’s a smart player, puts the time in. … The most important thing is him getting strong and healthy,” quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell recently told The Detroit News. “But I’m really pleased with him. As far as the meetings are concerned, we throw a bunch of questions at those rookies and try to put them in a tough spot. And he always does a very good job, and it’s very clear that he’s putting the time in.”

As a member of the Class of 2017, Hooker was a four-star recruit out of Greensboro (N.C.) Dudley, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 8 overall prospect in the state, the No. 25 quarterback in the class and the No. 354 overall prospect in the class.