Did Hendon Hooker have NIL deals in Tennessee? Exploring Peyton Manning protégé’s endorsements

It is not hard to figure out why Hendon Hooker emerged as one of the top NCAA football players in 2022. His name has become common when collegiate athletes sign new NIL contracts. Early in the 2021 season, Hooker took over as the Tennessee Volunteers' starting quarterback and has not looked back while leading the offense to impressive results.

Hendon Hooker's on-field brilliance eventually led to NIL deals. In November, Hooker announced an agreement with Gopher Inc. on Instagram, adding yet another endorsement arrangement to his expanding portfolio.

The Gopher app offers a neighborhood marketplace for services and is offered by a Raleigh, North Carolina-based business. Customers can specify the price for any chores they want completed, including cutting grass. At the moment, Gopher provides services in the cities of Raleigh, Durham, Cary and Chapel Hill. With this most recent arrangement, though, it is clear that the firm has Knoxville in its sights.

The On3 NIL valuation for Hooker is $1.1 million. Last season, his social media following significantly increased; it now has over 146,000 followers.

Information from On3 shows that Hooker has agreements with a small number of businesses as part of his current NIL. He has worked with several businesses, including Dunkin', Gopher Brand Athletes, Municipal, French's and Mercedes-Benz of Knoxville.

Will Hendon Hooker be selected in the first round?

A few weeks before the NFL draft, Hendon Hooker received hurried visits with NFL teams. Teams are conducting due research on a player who, at 25, has a unique prospect profile. Add to this the realization that Hooker is recovering from an ACL tear that prevented him from taking part in almost all of the on-field testing before the draft.

Hendon Hooker played for Virginia Tech for four seasons before moving to Tennessee for his last two. Hooker occasionally excelled for his team, but the offense he was a part of lacked imagination and the coaching was not the finest. Hooker went for long stretches at Virginia Tech and Tennessee without throwing an interception.

Some organizations will be concerned about his age and injuries. However, Hooker is a model, a die-hard football fan and a player who keeps improving. He should still make it to the first round.

Baker Mayfield is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' only starting quarterback. Later in the season, Hendon might start in place of Baker after swiftly picking up some of Baker's knowledge.

Before suffering an injury last year, Hooker displayed all these talents and was in a strong position to win the Heisman Trophy. He scored 32 TDs and had a quarterback rating of 175.5 in just 12 outings.