The No.5 ranked Tennessee Volunteers have been led by senior quarterback Hendon Hooker all season. Unfortunately, the star quarterback suffered what looks to be a serious knee injury in their matchup against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday.
The injury occurred in the fourth quarter on a designed option play for Hooker. While running the ball Hooker went down without any contact, fumbling the ball in the process.
Somehow, this night gets worse for Tennessee. Hendon Hooker fumbles deep in his own territory and gets hurt on this play. pic.twitter.com/iBvx6JFNeR
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) November 20, 2022
He was clearly in a ton of pain after the play, visibly screaming in pain on the ground after his leg awkwardly gave out on him.
It’s hard not to feel for Hooker considering he likely has an NFL career in his future, and many took to social media to express their sadness about this terrible-looking injury.
Absolutely BUMMED for Hendon Hooker
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 20, 2022
https://twitter.com/NicoleAuerbach/status/1594168585408155648
Tennessee deserves to lose this game.
Hendon Hooker does not deserve a serious knee injury.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) November 20, 2022
I really hate this for Hendon Hooker.
— Chad Withrow (@TheChadWithrow) November 20, 2022
Keeping prayers up for Hendon Hooker. Rolled the dice and transferred from VT… ended up leading a revamped excitement for Big Orange football and success followed. 🍊
— Curtis Carden (@Curtis_Carden) November 20, 2022
Hendon Hooker looked to get caught up in the grass and his knee gave out. He was in tremendous pain on the ground.
Absolutely hate to see that for the young man. Hopefully it’s not bad
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) November 20, 2022
Prayers up for Hendon Hooker 🙏🏼
— Aaron Murray (@aaronmurray11) November 20, 2022
Hendon Hooker is pure class and impossible not to root for. The way he went down and it being a non contact injury I fear that’s an ACL. Man that stinks.
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) November 20, 2022
Coming into Saturday’s game, Hooker had the second-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy, only behind Ohio State star quarterback C.J. Stroud, according to ESPN.
We obviously won’t know the full extent of Hooker’s injury until an MRI is done, but it is never a good sign when it is a non-contact injury to a knee area.
The obvious concern for Hooker is that this could be a torn ACL, which would be brutal — both for his chances of an NFL career and for Tennessee for the remainder of the season.
This is a devastating blow for Tennessee regardless of what the diagnosis for Hooker ends up being.
Even the best-case scenario for Hendon Hooker would likely rule him out for the remainder of the Volunteers’ season, and chances are his outlook following this injury is far worse than that.
