Tennessee fans don’t need a reminder about that night in Columbia back in 2022 - but they just got one. The Vols’ trip to South Carolina wasn’t just the end of a promising College Football Playoff run. It was the night Hendon Hooker, the heartbeat of that Tennessee offense, went down with a torn ACL, effectively ending his Heisman-caliber season and altering the trajectory of a dream campaign.
But as it turns out, that injury wasn’t the first blow Hooker had taken.
In a recent interview on 104.5 The Zone with Ron Slay, Hooker revealed that he was already playing hurt before he even stepped on the field against the Gamecocks. The quarterback shared that he tore his meniscus the week prior, during Tennessee’s blowout win over Missouri.
“What’s really crazy is I didn’t even run prior to that game the entire week,” Hooker said. “I was just sitting in the pocket, throwing the ball.
I tore my meniscus the game before against Missouri. I’m essentially playing the entire South Carolina game on a torn meniscus.”
That’s right - Hooker played one of the most high-stakes games of his college career without a fully functioning knee. And for a moment, it seemed like he might be able to gut it out.
“Third play of the game, I take off for 50, 55 yards, I’m like, ‘Oh? I’m good to go.
I don’t even need to worry about this knee thing,’” he said. “Next time I tried to run, I put my foot in the ground and I have no meniscus so it’s nothing to stabilize the ACL, and I just tore my ACL.”
Hooker also recalled having a bad feeling about the field conditions during pregame warmups - describing the turf as soft and unstable, like “sand and dirt.” That uneasy feeling turned into heartbreak not long after.
“I remember Joe [Milton III] was the first person to come talk to me when I got off the ground,” Hooker said. “I was just bawling my eyes out. He just told me, like bro, I got your back, I’m gonna finish this for us.”
Hooker’s numbers that night - 25-of-42 for 247 yards and three touchdowns, no interceptions - don’t tell the full story. He was battling through pain, trying to keep Tennessee’s playoff hopes alive while South Carolina built a lead that the Vols couldn’t overcome. The Gamecocks ultimately won 63-38, and Hooker’s season - and Tennessee’s title dreams - ended on that field.
A week earlier, Hooker had lit up Missouri in what turned out to be his final full game in orange. He went 25-of-35 for 355 yards and three touchdowns, adding 50 rushing yards and another score. There’s no clear moment on tape when the meniscus injury occurred, but it clearly didn’t stop him from putting on a clinic.
Since then, Hooker’s journey has taken him through the NFL ranks. Drafted by the Detroit Lions, he was waived in 2025.
The Carolina Panthers gave him a shot, but released him as well. Now, he’s with the New York Jets, where he’s made three appearances so far in his pro career.
It’s been a winding road for Hooker since that night in Columbia - one that started with a quiet injury and ended with a season-ending one. But hearing him reflect on it now, with the benefit of hindsight and the scars to prove it, reminds us just how much he gave to that Tennessee team.
Playing hurt is one thing. Playing on a torn meniscus in a must-win game?
That’s a different level of toughness.