We all knew that the Tennessee football defense was going to steal the show early on in the season-opener against Syracuse. Leave it to Colorado transfer Colton Hood to announce his arrival to the team in the best way possible.
Hood had been making some great plays during practices this summer, but everyone was waiting to see what he'd be able to get done in Week 1. In the first quarter, Hood was at the right place at the right time, picking up a fumble from Syracuse QB Steve Angeli, which he then took to the house for six. This got everyone off their seats in Atlanta:
Colton Hood - love this! pic.twitter.com/Wi9aqIDWBF
— All For Tennessee (@allfortennessee) August 30, 2025
Tennessee CB Colton Hood has everyone fired up with his 1st Vols TD
You've got to give credit to Nathan Robinson too, as he was a force in the trenches in bull-rushing the Syracuse offensive lineman to force the fumble. Hood then had the presence of mind to stay calm, grab the ball off the turf and then fly into the end zone.
That score gave Tennessee a 17-0 lead late in the first quarter, which was obviously great to see. Tennessee has had its moment early on against Syracuse, though Joey Aguilar and his pass-catchers are yet to get into a full rhythm.
UPDATE: Right after this article was posted, Joey Aguilar and Braylon Stayley connected for a 74-yard score. Unreal.
That will come with time. As for Hood, he's being looked at as the leader in the secondary for this team right now due to All-American Jermod McCoy still working his way back from his torn ACL. McCoy is set to miss at least the first two games of the year, but the door is open for him to potentially take the field Week 3 vs. Georgia.
Hood will continue to be a defensive leader for this team even when McCoy is back on the gridiron. It's only a small sample size, but we're already seeing what Hood is made of, as he's posted other strong defensive plays too. There are plenty of reasons to get excited about what he can get done this campaign.