Hendon Hooker's full control has the Vols operating at elite level

Tennessee’s offense leads the nation in points and yards. The Vols have been putting on a show each and every week regardless of the opponent.

Josh Heupel and Alex Golesh’s offense have scored 30+ points in 10 straight games. Quarterback Hendon Hooker is in the midst of the Heisman race and Jalin Hyatt has put himself in the conversation of being the best receiver in the country.

Hooker’s number are crazy. The senior is completing 71 percent of his throws for 2,093 yards with 18 touchdowns and an interception.

While Hooker physically has been great, mentally he might even be better. 

“When Hendon decided to come back this year, he came back with a mentality basically like he was a true freshman,” Tennessee quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle said at the Knoxville Quarterback Club. “He wasn’t satisfied and said let me do my thing, I have it figured out now. He wanted his motion refined. He wanted his feet refined and to keep training his mind. He started that back in January and it’s been absolutely a priviledge to be a part of what he’s been able to do on the field. It’s been fun to watch a young man who deserves it because of who he is.

“He’s highly intelligent and I think he’s always made really good decisions. I think this year what’s making him even more special is he’s even more aggressive. We talk in our room that you have to be able to walk the line of being aggressive and not reckless. He’s walks it extremely well. He’s aggressive but he’s not reckless and putting the ball in danger.”

Hooker credits the off-season work with the receivers as a big reason for the offense’s continued growth.

“I think just us having some processes that we have been through this past year, and we have encountered this year that we known how to handle,” Hooker said. “Battling through different adversities, being on the same page and having chemistry and gelling, all that comes into play through the time we spent this offseason. How much more work we have put in this offseason knowing and being more comfortable in this offense and knowing what the coaches want to see in different situations has definitely benefited us.”

That work and improved chemistry showed Saturday in Hooker’s touchdown throw to Ramel Keyton on the slant. On that play, Keyton flattened his route adjusting to how UT-Martin played that route. Hooker said adjusting on the fly has been common place as defenses have tried to surprise them. 

“Yeah, many times we come out, for example this past weekend, they came out and ran a lot of Cover 0 and mixed in some Cover 2 in there,” Hooker said. “We were not really expecting that, but we were expecting a lot of pressure. There have been plenty of times that we come out and there are looks we don’t expect, and we just go out there and play our game. We come back to the sideline and communicate with the coaches up top and watch our game plan and move on from there.”

Moving on has been easier in year two compared to year one in Tennessee’s offense because Hooker has full control. 

“That’s been the fun thing with Hendon this year. Why you have seen him communicate at the line a lot more is because we have our play call and thought processes and he knows what we are trying to accomplish on each play,” Halzle said. “He has the play book at his disposal. The one play against Alabama to go take the lead (in the fourth quarter) that was his call. He walked up to the line of scrimmage and I was watching him and said ok here he goes. He sent Jalin (Hyatt) vertical based on the look he saw. That was his call. As soon as he sees a look he likes or one he doesn’t like, he has the full playbook at his disposal.”

Saturday night, Tennessee’s playbook will be on full display against a Kentucky defense that Hooker said is doing some different things.

“Yeah, they look good up front,” Hooker said. “They have some young guys up there but are very fast at the back end. They have some experience with corners and safeties. You know, usually we see them kind of drop out in a lot of coverage, in previous years, but they are bringing more pressure this year. So, excited to go out there and compete at a high level.”