Josh Heupel believes Hendon Hooker still has room for growth

As crazy as it sounds, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel believes Hendon Hooker can get even better. In a press conference Wednesday, Heupel stated that while he is proud of the way the Volunteers quarterback has performed, they both have their sights set even higher.

“There’s still room for him to grow,” Heupel said. “He would say the same thing. But it’s awesome that we can see the growth in him and you guys can see it too.

“This game is really hard. Playing that position, it’s really hard the decisions you’ve got to make. The ability to do that in the run and the pass game with the way he’s using his feet, sometimes it looks easy because they’re playing at a really high level. It’s not easy. He’s just in so much command of what we’re doing. He understands the why behind everything, and that’s a big part of it.”

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Hooker has been one of the country’s best quarterbacks early in this season. He has thrown for 1,170 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions through four games, while also adding 175 yards rushing and three touchdowns. His play has even caused some Heisman Trophy buzz, and he currently has the fourth-best odds of any player in college football to win it.

The Volunteers offense has been excellent with Hooker leading the charge, averaging 48.5 points per game to rank fifth in the nation. Tennessee is 4-0 for the first time since 2016 and moved up to No. 8 in the latest AP poll.

With all that in mind, it’s hard to imagine how much better he can truly be. But if Josh Heupel is correct, the rest of the country better watch out for Hendon Hooker.

Tennessee has a bye in Week 4 before moving on to face traveling to Baton Rouge to face LSU at noon ET on Oct. 8.