Penn State Football: Pair of former Hokies in transfer portal fits for Nittany Lions
QB – Hendon Hooker
Virginia Tech quarterback Hendon Hooker announced he will be grand-transferring out of the Hokies program, after starting six games and appearing in eight this season.
In those six starts, Hooker threw for 1,339 and nine touchdowns to only five interceptions. The intriguing aspect with Hooker is he is a true dual threat, as he ran for 620 yards and nine touchdowns on 120 attempts.
Hooker was even better in 2019, playing in 11 games, making eight starts, the senior threw for 1,555 and 13 touchdowns, to two interceptions. He also ran for 356 yards and five touchdowns.
In comparison, this season current Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford started 8 games and threw for 1,883 and 16 scores, while rushing for 335 yards and three touchdowns. The numbers are similar, but a lot of Clifford’s passing numbers came in the second half of games when Penn State football was down a few possessions. The glaring difference is the turnovers, as Clifford turned the ball over 12 times in 2020, with nine interceptions and three fumbles.
The North Carolina native is a former four star recruit, ranked as the 11th best dual-threat quarterback in the 2017 class, who had offers from Clemson, Oregon and Notre Dame to name a few.
At six-foot-four and 220 pounds, Hooker is the prototype dual-threat quarterback who can beat you with his arm or his legs.
Being a grad transfer, Hooker would only be with the Nittany Lions for a season, so if they do have plans for redshirt freshman Ta’Quan Roberson or incoming freshman Christian Veilleux to one day taking over as “the guy,” Hooker would not hinder any of those prospects long term.
Joe Burrow, Justin Fields and Jalen Hurts showed the college football world what the potential of hitting a homerun in the transfer portal at that position can due for a program. All three of those guys were transfers, and they were all Heisman finalist last year, while Burrow took the award home. Even more so, all three of their respective teams made the college football playoff, while Burrow’s LSU Tigers claimed the national title.
After Clifford struggled with turnovers and accuracy issues, Hooker would be a substantial upgrade, at least on paper. With the talent Penn State football has stacked up in their last few recruiting classes, a stud quarterback could be the thing that puts them over the top in 2021 and beyond.