Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood suited up in the orange-and-white for the first time on Saturday and proved to be an impact player in his debut game for the Volunteers against Syracuse. The six-foot defensive back was a starter for Tennessee’s secondary and finished the game with four tackles, three pass breakups, and a scoop-and-score touchdown.
Hood was an iron man for the Tennessee defense on Saturday. According to Pro Football Focus, he racked up a 75.4 grade, the second-highest on Tennessee’s defense, while playing in 86 of UT’s 90 defensive snaps against the Orange’s offense.
Hood’s performance was plenty enough to earn him a spot on On3 Sports’ Top 10 Transfer Portal Impact Players list on Wednesday morning. On3’s Pete Nakos listed the former Colorado defensive back as the fifth-best transfer player in the first week of the college football season.
Other SEC selections include LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane, Auburn cornerback Rayshawn Pleasant, Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch, LSU center Braelin Moore, and Mississippi State defensive lineman Will Whitson.
Week 1 Transfer Portal Impact Players via @PeteNakos_‼️https://t.co/CBcwXbhpeG pic.twitter.com/5WfeRupdfI
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) September 3, 2025
More From RTI: Tennessee Reportedly Set to ‘Fight Till the End’ For This Four-Star Running Back
Hood’s highlight play against the Orange came on his first-half scoop-and-score fumble recovery to give Tennessee a 17-0 lead in the closing seconds of the first quarter. The play was significant because it was the very next snap after Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar fumbled the rock on the Syracuse 25-yard line. Hood’s play not only stopped Syracuse from gaining any momentum off the Tennessee turnover, but gave the Vols’ offense a boost with six free points.
“First I want to say I give all glory to God,” Hood said after the game Saturday. “Without Him, me and my teammates would be nothing. I want to give all glory to Him. I’ve been playing baseball since I was six years old. When I seen that ball on the ground, it’s like picking up a groundball in the outfield. I just ran it into the end zone.”
Hood’s redshirt sophomore year at Tennessee is actually his second year in the SEC overall. The Georgia native began his career at Auburn, redshirting his true freshman season in 2023, before transferring to Colorado to play under head coach Deion Sanders in 2024. After playing in a cornerback room that featured Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, Hood decided to take his talents elsewhere and landed at Tennessee in the spring portal window.
Hood’s addition to the Tennessee was huge during the offseason, but carries extra weight after just one game with the Vols this season. Tennessee veteran cornerback Rickey Gibson III is set to miss an extended period of time with an injury that was suffered against the Orange, prompting Hood to be the Vols’ top cornerback moving forward until Jermod McCoy and/or Gibson return from injury at some point this season.
Tennessee looks to be in good hands with Hood, though. He played impressive football on Saturday.
