This post has nothing to do with the game in which the University of Tennessee Volunteers hung on to defeat the Gators of the University of Florida (click here for highlights).
Well, there is some connection. But the goal here is, once again, to urge sports journalists to listen to what many athletes have to say when asked questions about what makes them tick — as people and as leaders in their sports communities. I’ve written a hundred or so posts (it seems) on this subject during the past 18 years or so.
Consider this a refresher memo on that topic, since Vols senior quarterback Hendon Hooker — after the post-game shows this past weekend — has officially entered the Heisman Trophy chatter zone.
In this case, Hooker isn’t the stereotypical athlete who uses vague God-talk during sideline interviews or in his post-game press conferences. While that kind of language can be important, I have always thought that journalists need to look for deeper signs of faith — in friendships, family ties and concrete actions in daily life.
Thus, let me note a story of two in East Tennessee media that spotted crucial faith facts about this calm, steady quarterback and worked them into a sports-page basic — the pre-game rituals feature. The headline at the Knoxville News Sentinel read: “How Hendon Hooker will calm his nerves before Tennessee football plays Florida.” The faith issue even made it into the overture:
Neyland Stadium will be rocking before Tennessee football plays Florida … , but Hendon Hooker will go into slow-jam mode and lean on his faith.
ESPN’s College Gameday will rev up the crowd. Checker Neyland will create quite a scene. And the sellout crowd will shake the stadium moments before the Vols run through the Power T.
A few lines later there is this basic quote:
“I just go into meditation mode and put my gospel playlist on,” Hooker said Monday. “I really just listen to a lot of slow jams and really just relax. I kind of go through the locker room and dap up everyone, just to make sure that I’m ready to roll. And they give me the reassurance back by the look in their eyes that they’re ready to roll too.”
Now, this is where this short story paused for a moment and asked some follow-up questions.
Raise your hand if you think it would be logical to ask for some examples of the music in that pre-game playlist. This story didn’t go very far into the specifics, but it did like this subject to one of the most interesting facts in the quarterback’s resume.
Hooker’s playlist always includes Kiki Sheard, a Grammy nominated gospel singer, as well as Kirk Franklin and Fred Hammond. And when Tennessee’s quarterbacks know the game plan inside and out, they turn their attention to a different playbook.
“Me and (backup quarterback Joe Milton), we have a devotional book that we read every day,” Hooker said. “So before the game, we’ll read one or two pages.”
It’s not surprising that faith has a role in Hooker’s pregame ritual. One of his first forays into the name, image and likeness space was done to create a faith-based children’s book called “The ABCs of Scripture for Athletes.”
If readers are interested in that topic, they can go to Hooker’s website — Hooked On Sports — or read some almost identical material in a feature — “Meditation, gospel music key to Hooker's pregame routine” — at the Vols section of this fan-niche website, 247sports.com.
I would ask if “meditation” is another word for “prayer.” Also, it is interesting that the religion hooks in this story do not appear in a UT sports press release entitled, “ ‘Brotherhood’ Helping Tennessee QB Duo Flourish.”
That’s especially interesting since the deep friendship between Hooker and Milton is truly eyebrow raising. Why? Milton was the 2021 starter until an injury put Hooker on the field and the rest is Vols history.
College-football fans all know what is supposed to happen next in this age of the red-hot NCAA “transfer portal” — that legal wormhole that allows athletes to jump from school to school in search of a slot in the starting lineup. Then again, some stars may be seeking a better financial deal under the “Name, Image, Likeness” rules allowing them to get paid for promotional work with local, regional or national brands.
So why is the massive, talented and fast Milton still at UT-Knoxville?
That was the subject — sort of — that loomed over a long feature that ran recently at The Athletic, my favorite national sports website. The headline: “Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, Joe Milton have cooked up a college football anomaly.”
The key word is “cooked,” since that was the angle that caught the interest of the reporter. Here is the key material:
Tennessee doesn’t just have a good quarterback room this season, it has a quarterback apartment. Hooker and Milton recently moved in together, which also meant a pairing of Milton’s pit bull and Hooker’s golden doodle puppy. …
They vacationed together in the offseason in Miami. They call each other’s mothers “Mom.” When they weren’t in the same place in the offseason, Hooker said, they talked on the phone every day. Hooker is the starter, the star, the guy Milton feels responsible to push and get the best out of each day. Milton is the guy biding his time, staying ready, while Hooker urges him to keep refining those skills and getting ready for another shot at the job.
Milton’s also the chef. The quarterbacks had a large group of teammates over for the Fourth of July, with Milton preparing about 50 pieces of fried chicken, dirty rice and his mother’s macaroni recipe. Hooker chipped in with his father’s baked beans, but it’s usually Milton preparing meals.
Note the reference to “another shot.” One year as the starter in UT’s high-flying offense — under head coach Josh Heupel — and Milton would show up on the radar of National Football League scouts.
But are there any other important, more than symbolic ties that bind between Hooker and Milton that are missing in this otherwise fine feature? Maybe something linked to their shared pre-game ritual?
Just asking. Again.
FIRST IMAGE: Promotional image of the cover of “The ABC's of Scripture for Athletes” by Hendon and Alston Hooker at HookedOnSports.org