With the 2023 NFL Draft just around the corner, hundreds of prospects from schools all around the country are eagerly awaiting a chance to hear their name called at some point over the three-day, seven-round event.
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One of them, 25-year-old Hendon Hooker, was a Heisman hopeful in his final season at Tennessee before tearing his ACL in November. His age and the injury could cause his stock to drop him out of first-round contention.
However, what you may not know about the signal-caller is that his dad was a terrific college quarterback and his brother currently plays in college, too. Hooker's brother, Alston, plays for North Carolina A&T, where his father, Alan, set all kinds of records on the gridiron.
Alan Hooker's College Career and Brief NFL Stint
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Alan Hooker re-wrote the record books at North Carolina A&T, a Division I HBCU that plays in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Today, he is a member of the North Carolina A&T Hall of Fame for his contributions to the school. He attended the NFL Combine and was a member of the 1988 draft class.
Watching old clips of Alan dominate at quarterback will make any Tennessee fan see his son in him.
3) Some of the main things that stood out to me about Alan Hooker was his excellent footwork and quick throwing release. He was very efficient as a passer. This was years before the spread offense really became popular in HBCU football, so he did most of his work under center. pic.twitter.com/GsGjeVbWLt
— BlueDeathValley.com (@BlueDeathValley) May 8, 2020
Alan was good enough to get looked at in the NFL, too. He signed a free agent deal with the Dallas Cowboys but was cut in training camp. He told the Greensboro News & Record in 2015 that he might have had a better shot in the league today.
"I think more of my skills would have been considered an asset," Alan said. "I think at that time, teams had really set the offense around the drop-back style. That's what we were in college, but every now and then we had ability to move the pocket when we got in trouble. But this current particular style is really in tune with what I liked to do."
These days, Alan is a recruiter for a local school district, but he enjoys watching both of his sons play football — one who's about to enter the NFL and another who followed in his footsteps at North Carolina A&T.
Hendon's Brother, Alston, Plays QB at Dad's Alma Mater
Hendon Hooker was a four-star quarterback recruit before signing with Virginia Tech. His brother wasn't nearly as highly-touted, but he found his way to the NCAA.
Alston Hooker plays quarterback at his dad's alma mater. The redshirt sophomore has yet to appear in a game for the Aggies despite head coach Sam Washington being impressed with his "instincts and knowledge of where to go with the football and his accuracy," according to the team's website.
Alston isn't the starter, but the Aggies have a quarterback competition brewing ahead of the 2023 season, and Alston feels confident in his team's offense.
"Honestly, I feel like we're going to be very explosive this year," Alston told HBCU Gameday. "The guys that we've got coming in and things that we're learning, the things that we're doing with this new offensive coordinator, we're definitely going to be explosive."
The Hooker genes clearly carry some pretty good quarterback traits. Hendon Hooker could be drafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft after a nearly perfect two seasons at Tennessee — he threw just five interception to 58 touchdowns. If he ends up with the Cowboys, he could carry on his dad's legacy.
