A couple of former Tennessee Vols teammates were across the field from each other this past weekend in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
Former Vols edge rusher Byron Young, a third round selection by the Los Angeles Rams, and former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker, a third round selection by the Detroit Lions, each went to the playoffs in their rookie seasons and they crossed paths last weekend in Detroit.
Hooker's Lions knocked off Young's Rams to advance to the NFC Championship game, ending Young's promising rookie season (Hooker didn't see any action this season while recovering from a torn ACL, though he was activated late in the season).
After the game, Hooker and Young, who played at Tennessee together from 2021 to 2022, met at midfield to exchange jerseys.
Young and Hooker played a key role in the revitalization of the Tennessee football program under Josh Heupel. Hooker delivered one of the best seasons ever for a Vols quarterback in 2022 after arriving from Virginia Tech in 2021 as an afterthought via the transfer portal. And Young, who totaled 12.5 sacks in his two seasons at UT, was one of the best stories in college football after arriving in Knoxville as a Georgia Military College transfer who previously worked as an assistant manager at a Dollar General.
A cool moment for a couple of VFLs who have come a long way.
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