Hendon Hooker Returning to Tennessee as Titans Sign Former Vols Star
Image: Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics
By Aidan Sidoti
I promise this isn’t an April Fool’s joke, guys.
The Tennessee Titans are signing former Volunteers star quarterback Hendon Hooker, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Wednesday, bringing one of the most admired players in recent Tennessee history back to the state where he’s a household name.
Hooker, the No. 68 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, arrives in Nashville after a bit of a journey. Detroit waived him in August 2025, and he spent time with Carolina before landing with the New York Jets, where he joined the practice squad late in the 2025 season and was promoted to the 53‑man roster in January.
He now gets a fresh start back in the Tri-Star state, where his 2022 campaign still gets talked about on Rocky Top. The Greensboro, North Carolina native earned SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting while helping lead the Vols to the Orange Bowl. He totaled 3,565 yards of offense and 32 touchdowns that season, directing one of the most explosive offenses in college football.
