This off-season, there were doubts about what Tennessee football would look like. Coming off a College Football Playoff appearance and a 10-win season, the Vols were tasked with replacing some key pieces on the roster.
In the first test of the season, Tennessee passed. UT defeated Syracuse 45-26 in Atlanta in a game it never trailed and hardly didn’t hold a lead of more than a possession. To spring transfer defensive back Colton Hood, this was enough to shut up the ‘haters and doubters.’ While he wasn’t there for 2024, or even the spring period of practice in 2025, he’s heard the criticism.
“I think it just showed all the haters and the doubters out there we’re still the same Tennessee we was last year,” Hood said. “Probably going to be better. We’re going to keep getting better after this game. I think that’s what it shows for real.”
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When asked about what hate he’s referencing, he did note there was some personal hate he received, presumably about his decision to join the program. The reasoning seems to be an uncertainty that the team could answer the questions that arose over the off-season.
Particularly, there has been doubt about what the Vols’ receiver room and quarterback situation will look like. The 247 yards and three touchdowns through the air that Joey Aguilar produced left Hood feeling vindicated, though.
“I seen what happened with the team,” Hood said. “They said we weren’t going to be good. Our receivers, they went out there and made plays. Joey made plays. They said we weren’t going to have no quarterback. We always believed in ourselves. We weren’t worried about anything anybody else was saying. We was always just locked in, ready to go play.”
Hood came up big in the game himself with a scoop-and-score touchdown to instantly respond to Tennessee’s lone turnover of the afternoon. For him, he said he just compared it to fielding a ground ball in baseball, and then he was off to the races.
This was just a piece of a strong game for him at cornerback with Jermod McCoy still sidelined with an injury. When Rickey Gibsion III also fell to injury, Hood’s consistent play on the perimeter became even more important, and he answered the call.
