During his lone year with Tennessee football, cornerback Colton Hood proved to be one of the best defensive backs in the conference. In the debut game of the year, a win over Syracuse in Atlanta, he also debuted a new signature celebration.
After Hood made big plays, you’d see him throw up an imaginary hood and do a thumbs down. With how well he played, it became a common occurrence on the field.
Now that Hood has been drafted in the second round by the New York Giants, he’s ready to take the celebration to the NFL. During an event with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, he taught him the celebration.
New #Giants CB Colton Hood spent Thursday in the green room, beginning a draft odyssey that landed him in NY. But before the call, his highlight was NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell learning his “put on your hood” celebration. pic.twitter.com/l0B7MKJipS
Advertisement— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 27, 2026
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Hood finished this 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.
Though it was just one season, Hood made sure to express how thankful he was to spend a year on Rocky Top after his Pro Day showing last month.
“It’s meant a lot,” Hood said. “I don’t think people understand how much Rocky Top means to me. Just the love from the fans, everything, in totality, all the people, just a great place, an amazing place. I’d say to any recruit out there, you give your all for Rocky Top, they’re going to love you back. Definitely just overwhelmed with emotions and how this place helped me and how I want to help this place.”
Now, he’s set to join the Giants as a projected second-string piece of the secondary. He should have plenty of opportunities to get on the field, though, and prove himself in the NFL.
