Tennessee football: Five key Vols to watch for at Georgia

6’4″ 218 pounds

Every time Hendon Hooker has been tested this year, he has answered. Hooker had to prove he could handle an elite defensive line at Pitt. He delivered. Then he had to deal with an elite pass rush in Alabama, and once again, he delivered. Last week, he had to prove he could throw from the pocket against an elite secondary, and again, he delivered.

How does facing all three sound? That’s what Tennessee football is up against in Georgia’s defense. Hooker is the Heisman favorite right now in the betting markets, having overtaken C.J. Stroud just last week. That combined with the Vols being No. 1 in the College Football Playoff puts huge expectations on them.

Right now, Hooker is completing an insane 71.2 percent of his passes and averaging 10.7 yards per attempt. He has 2,338 yards in total, but the craziest stat is his 21 touchdowns to just one interception. Add in his 338 rushing yards and four touchdowns, and he’s still on track to shatter Peyton Manning’s total offense record.

Amidst all those records, he also has that win against Alabama in his back pocket. Now, Tennessee football needs him to deliver an even greater performance. If he comes through in this one, it’ll put him in a legendary status that nobody could have predicted.