It seems safe to say that VFL Peyton Manning will always be around Tennessee Athletics in some capacity. Especially when it comes to the football department.
Since moving on from Tennessee in 1997, Manning has constantly been around the Vols’ football program.
“The amount of money that I’ve given to that school, with as few wins as we’ve had the last 10 years, yes,” Manning said with a laugh while talking to his brother Eli about deservingly smoking a victory cigar after the Alabama game.
With all of that access around the Tennessee football program comes new insight with it. Not always just for Manning, though, but for the players as well.
In ESPN’s new limited series On The Clock, Archie Manning, Peyton Manning, and Eli Manning tracked four quarterbacks over the course of the 2022 season: Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, Alabama’s Bryce Young, Kentucky’s Will Levis, and Florida’s Anthony Richardson.
The 22-minute episode featuring Hooker and the episode featuring Young both debuted on Monday, April 10. The Will Levis episode will release on April 17 while the Richardson episode closes the run on April 24.
Hooker’s episode starts with the former Tennessee quarterback receiving a call from Archie Manning on May 15, 2022. While face-timing the NFL legend on the indoor practice field, Hooker received a request from Manning to be a coach at the Manning Passing Academy later that June.
“We want the best college quarterbacks down here to coach up the next generation,” Manning said on the call. “We’d love for you to join us… So we can count on you to come down? Show Peyton a thing or two about quarterbacking?”
The episode then shows footage from the Manning Passing Academy, revealing a key trait about Hooker. The former Tennessee quarterback has routinely been named a leader on the team, but that leadership extends to the coaching side as well.
“I want to be a coach one day,” Hooker said on the show. “So watching kids develop, just giving advice, helping them learn through things is exciting to see. So just seeing that growth from Day 1 to Day 3 with the guys that I had in my group was amazing.”
More from RTI: NFL Insider Shares Thoughts on Hendon Hooker’s First Round Potential
After showing plenty of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews from the passing academy, the episode then dives fully into the 2022 season. Hooker would go on to lead Tennessee to a 10-2 regular season record and watched on as the Vols took home an Orange Bowl victory in December.
The On The Clock episode documents the highlights of Tennesee’s season before focusing in on the unforgettable Alabama game.
“Beating Florida was one thing,” Archie Manning narrated over top of the show. “Beating Alabama is a whole ‘nother deal. Tennessee had lost 15 straight to the Crimson Tide.”
Including the Alabama game, Peyton Manning attended three Tennessee games this year, with the Vols’ Senior Day contest against Missouri being one of them. As the cold rain fell down on a November day in Knoxville, Manning caught up with Hooker on the field before the game.
“What’s up, dude?” Peyton said. “How you doing, man?”
“Doing good,” Hooker replied.
“Ready to rock? Had a good week?”
“Yessir,” Hooker said. “Had a great week.”
“Good, good. Jump on these guys early, right?”
“Yessir,” Hooker replied. “Early and be there all game.”
“Got a good game plan?”
“We’re anticipating them going from 44, like what we got last week against Georgia,” Hooker said. “Got a plan for that.”
The episode then shows game reaction footage of Peyton, in addition to Alan and Wendy Hooker, Hendon’s parents, throughout his final game in Neyland Stadium and as he led the Pride of the Southland Marching Band.
The joy on @henhook2's parents' faces as they watch him play for @Vol_Football will warm your heart. pic.twitter.com/r89OaRWpxe
— Omaha Productions (@OmahaProd) April 11, 2023
The Hendon Hooker On The Clock episode closes with an informative look into Hooker’s ACL injury, his dedication to the team after being injured, and the journey he had made in the first few months of his recovery. The episode shows Hooker going through physical therapy and the types of workouts he is doing to strengthen his left knee.
The On The Clock episode is available right now on demand to ESPN+ subscribers through the WatchESPN app or www.WatchESPN.com.
On The Clock: Hendon Hooker can be found here.
.@henhook2 is on his way to being a better version of himself. pic.twitter.com/70Y9e8b0dh
— Omaha Productions (@OmahaProd) April 11, 2023
