The Tech Lunch Pail is excited to announce the launch of the new TLP Insider subscription. Sign up for an account and get the best news, inside scoops, and analysis on the Hokies! Learn more

Virginia Tech QB Hendon Hooker Enters The Transfer Portal

Hendon Hooker 1 VT BC 2020 From ACC
Photo Credit: ACC Media

Virginia Tech has had some rough offseasons in regards to losing players to the transfer portal, and yet this one may already be the worst. After losing Doug Nester and Bryan Hudson to it earlier this week, starting QB Hendon Hooker announced today that he will also be entering the transfer portal.

Hooker becomes the most prominent transfer of the fall to date for the Hokies with Nester, Hudson, and Quincy Patterson among the other most notable players to enter the transfer portal. Hooker also becomes the third QB to start under Fuente and enter the transfer portal along with Patterson and Josh Jackson.

Hooker took over as the starting QB against Miami last season and didn't look back in 2019 before 2020 saw him take the QB job after a couple weeks due to his return from COVID causing him to not play in the first two games and have a limited role against UNC that likely should have been him starting.

For his career, Hooker finishes with 2,894 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, 7 interceptions, and a 63.1% completion rate plus 1,033 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns, and an average of 4.2 yards per carry. His 65.3% completion rate this past season is the new single-season record at Virginia Tech for QBs with a minimum of 150 pass attempts while he ranks 17th in career passing yards.

Once again, the quarterback position has been a place of turmoil for the Hokies with Justin Fuente's ideals of having two QBs unsurprisingly failing and leading to Tech's best QB, Hendon Hooker, entering the transfer portal.

With that, Braxton Burmeister now emerges as the clear #1 QB with Knox Kadum and Tahj Bullock being the only other scholarship QBs on the roster. At this point, it's clear that Tech needs to land another, older QB via the transfer portal or the JUCO route.

However, the fact that Hooker, the most talented QB at least since Jerod Evans, is leaving Virginia Tech via the transfer portal is a failure that lands at the feet of Fuente and OC/QBs coach Brad Cornelsen. Hooker is the type of high-end, dual-threat, playmaking QB that you can't afford to lose and will absolutely be a dynamic player for someone else.

Hooker had proven to be a more than capable passer who was consistently able to stretch the field with his arm, and not only make plays with his legs, but also make smart decisions on read options. While Burmeister has shown promise, Hooker has shown a higher ceiling and much more consistency.

This is a loss that sets Tech's aspirations back next season but should not change the expectations on Justin Fuente because at the end of the day, it's his responsibility to hold on to his most talented players and not mishandle them to the point of them reasonably leaving for greener pastures.

We will have more as this story develops.

Advertisement
You must login in order to comment on this post.
Loading Indicator