Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker will miss the rest of the season after he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee midway through the fourth quarter of the No. 5 Volunteers’ 63-38 road loss to South Carolina on Saturday. Tennessee announced the extent of injury on Sunday afternoon, which ends a potential All-America season.
The Heisman Trophy contender kept the ball on a zone read and went down in a non-contact injury to his left knee as he was attempting to cut through a hole to gain yardage. He went to the ground in obvious pain and limped off the field and to the injury tent. The play was reviewed and ruled a fumble after Hooker was initially ruled down. Hooker eventually walked to the locker room under his own power as backup Joe Milton entered the game in his place.
Hooker has been the most valuable player of No. 5 Tennessee’s dream season. The senior posted 3,135 yards passing, 430 yards rushing and 32 touchdowns with only two interceptions for the Volunteers’ high-powered offense. Hooker threw five touchdowns in Tennessee’s first upset victory over Alabama since the year before Nick Saban took over in 2006.
The senior transferred to Tennessee from Virginia Tech prior to last season, and took over as its staring quarterback after Week 2 of the 2021 season. He threw for 2,945 yards, 31 touchdowns and three interceptions last season while adding 613 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
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