Hendon Hooker is the best Tennessee quarterback since …

[MiramarVol]

No. Rings are won by teams, not individuals. Consider:
Tee was less than 50% passing against Syracuse, Florida, and Arkansas. He was barely over 50% against Georgia with about 140 yards and 2 INTs. Those were Tennessee's biggest regular season games that year and the Vols won in spite of his awful play.
Tee was a 57% passer as a junior and 54% passer as a senior. That's really bad.
Tennessee's defense forced 5 turnovers against Florida and the offense could only muster 17 points in regulation, because they had no passing game. This is with Jamal Lewis at RB and some future NFL starters at WR.

That team won on great defense and being opportunistic. Tee is exactly why you don't judge QBs based on rings (So are Mark Rypien, Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson, Jeff Hostetler, Doug Williams, etc.)

Seemed like the same defense Peyton had.

 

[mudhen]

Possibly Peyton if he keeps it up. I'd probably give Clausen the edge right now.

Peyton couldn't beat Florida...

 

[Rocky Top T]

Peyton. Clausen was good, but he had a ton of talent around him. He was a great game manager.

You don't think Manning had talent around him???

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

I love that we just skip right over the only qb to win a national championship here in the last fifty years.

 

[JettVol]

The Iceman is a good choice. Wins a lot, doesn't turn the ball over.

 

[Vol865]

Peyton couldn't beat Florida...

Takes a whole team. Not 1 guy.

 

[jarnol32]

Tyler Bray.

 

[Vol865]

“Since Dobbs” appears to shortchange Hooker which i don’t mean to do but JD was a warrior himself. He was the reason ‘15 & ‘16 were good seasons. I’ll reserve my vote until the end of the season.

No disrespect to Dobbs but Hooker has been a way more polished QB to this point. Dobbs was a better runner but I'll take Hooker all day.

 

[sechamp2012]

Good list and I won't argue it (well, maybe - I think Tee is too high), but in fairness, there is not a lot of separation from #2-#9. Very good QBs on this list.

You are right Tee was a game manager and not near the runner of Hooker , Dobbs Heath or Streeter but he was QB and general of a National Championship on a loaded team albeit elite O & D.

 

[TexasVolfan1]

That is simply not true IN ANY SYSTEM.
The QB has to be capable.
Look at Joe Milton last season for a more recent example of that. Just 2021, we don't know what Joe will be like in 2023.

Hendon is not a system QB. He had big games at Va Tech too.

No arguement it takes a capable QB, which Milton was not last year. I do think it puts the QB in a much better place to succeed than just about any offense out there right now. At the end of the day Hendon does deserve credit for making the plays.

Just makes it hard to compare to someone like Dobbs who was making plays in spite of the system.

 

[griffdog14]

I think Hooker has cemented himself better than Dobbs, and really anyone going to Martin and Manning

 

[JoeMiltonsAgent]

I think you have to go with Dobbs and it is close.

Hooker is the better passer, Dobbs the better runner.

Tough comparisons to make with Hooker and Ainge, Bray, and Clausen.

Ainge and Bray had better arms but couldn't run. Clausen wasn't particularly athletic but was really tough and smart. Also had much better teams around him.

 

[NighthawkVol]

Seemed like the same defense Peyton had.

Did it? Because Peyton started 3 games against Florida and Florida scored 62, 35, and 33.
But that seems the same as a defense giving up 17 and causing 5 turnovers?

 

[NighthawkVol]

I love that we just skip right over the only qb to win a national championship here in the last fifty years.

The team won it. And it wasn't with elite QB play.

 

[VolJarhead]

He reminds me a lot of Tony Robinson the way he throws the deep ball. T-Rob was a Bama killer.

Tony Robinson before the injury was amazing and I will always have good memories of his play. I was disappointed Washington didn't keep him after the strike.

 

[WilcoVolsFan]

Peyton couldn't beat Florida...

In the four years Peyton played, only 3 SEC teams did.

He did however beat Alabama and Georgia. Are Hooker's accomplishments suddenly diminished if he doesn't win both those games this year?

 

[Jersey Moonshine]

Bray was by far the best beer can chunker we every had i suspect!

Dude, that's uncalled for and totally wrong ... they were bottles.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

The team won it. And it wasn't with elite QB play.

You don’t win a NC without the right puzzle piece at that position. 19TDs to 6 interceptions was good enough.

 

[sammyjoey]

Bailey

 

[OrangeTsar]

“Since Dobbs” appears to shortchange Hooker which i don’t mean to do but JD was a warrior himself. He was the reason ‘15 & ‘16 were good seasons. I’ll reserve my vote until the end of the season.

IMO Butch should share some his salary from those years with Dobbs because Butch wouldn’t have been here nearly as long without him. JD masked a LOT of shortcomings with the program

 

[EZE]

Did we make the right coaching hire?

That aged about as well as most of the posts on here.

 

[Volintheswamp]

Josh Dobbs. Hooker benefits from the system he’s in. Dobbs would be a Heisman contender as well in this offense. After Dobbs, Iceman, Tee, then Peyton. Honorable mention Bray. Bray showed flashes, but where Hooker benefits from his offense, Bray suffered through the Dooley years.

 

[EZE]

Here are my “good” QBs since Peyton, who remains in a class of his own (with apologies to HH).

Peyton
Tee
Clausen, C
Ainge
Bray (probably the best arm talent, headcase)
Dobbs
Hooker

I’d be happy with any of these under center. I could only imagine Bray slinging it in this offense…woulda been crazy.

 

[AllVolinGA]

For all the good things Bray did as qb at TN, this makes it hard for me to think highly of him..
2011 at KY. But that's just my bias because I dislike KY so much.

 

[NighthawkVol]

You don’t win a NC without the right puzzle piece at that position. 19TDs to 6 interceptions was good enough.

Yep. It was good enough. That's not the same as being great.

"Good enough" is determined by what's around the QB. Hell, Jacob Coker was good enough too. But neither of them had a team they had to carry. Their teams carried them.