Tennessee football star cornerback Colton Hood has officially declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. He did not explicitly say if he will opt out of the upcoming Music City Bowl, but the expectation is that players who declare for the draft will not play in the game.
Hood is now the fourth UT player to officially declare for the draft. He joins cornerback Jermod McCoy, wide receiver Chris Brazzell II and linebacker Arion Carter, who all had an additional year of eligibility. Edge rusher Joshua Josephs is also expected to be a draft pick this year, though he is out of eligibility and unable to return anyway.
According to popular mock drafts, Hood is considered a potential first-round pick. If he does slip out of the first round, he is expected to be selected on day two.
Hood is coming off his lone season with Tennessee, in which he was a breakout star. He transferred in from Colorado in the spring window after McCoy tore his ACL. Hood was expected to fill in a starting role while McCoy recovered, opposite of Rickey Gibson III. However, Gibson was injured in the early stages of the season opener and missed the remainder of the season, and McCoy was never able to return to the field.
This put immense pressure on Hood to perform, and he did. He finished the year with 50 tackles, eight passes deflected, a forced fumble, an interception and two touchdowns. He was named to the 2025 All-SEC Second Team by the AP for his year.
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Before Hood’s lone season with Tennessee, he played alongside Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter in the secondary for Deion Sanders at Colorado. That year, he produced 24 tackles and two interceptions.
In his first year of college football, Hood played at Auburn under Hugh Freeze. He recorded just three tackles that year while earning a redshirt in four games played.
Hood was a four-star recruit out of high school. On3 ranked him as the No. 20 cornerback prospect in the class. He is from McDonough, Georgia.
