Hendon Hooker Becoming The 'Certifiable Dude' At Tennessee

It wasn't long ago that Tennessee was in the midst of spring practice, trying to figure out who could lead this football team at quarterback. Things certainly changed during the off-season, as another quarterback transferred into the program, turning fall camp into a three-man competition. But, as we moved closer towards the first game of the season, the coaching staff had their eyes on one transfer, while another had to wait his turn.

The Vols started off the season with Joe Milton behind center, a decision that seemed like the right one to the coaching staff, as he showed off his arm throughout fall camp. After two games though, it was clear that things weren't working. Then, when Milton sustained a hit during the Pittsburgh game, transfer Hendon Hooker stepped in and tried to lead Tennessee to a comeback against the Panthers, and he hasn't looked back since.

Courtesy of Tennessee Athletics

The Vols (-10.5 on FanDuel) play host to the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday at noon Eastern.

Now, we are starting to see the reason why Hooker has become the starting quarterback. I've spoken with folks around the Vols football program, and the one thing they say about Hooker is that he has a strong mental presence. During the off-season, he learned to be a leader on a brand new team, with a coaching staff he was familiar with. But since then, he's brought out the best in himself and become the leader this team needs.

There was a lot of uncertainty about his toughness coming into the season, but OC Alex Golesh argues that some of that chatter wasn't exactly fair:

Courtesy Of Tennessee Athletics

Courtesy of Tennessee Athletics