ATLANTA, GA – August 30, 2025 – Defensive back Colton Hood #8 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the Aflac Kickoff game between the Syracuse Orange and the Tennessee Volunteers at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. Photo By Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics
Last weekend, the annual Senior Bowl took place with draft-eligible players showing out in front of NFL scouts ahead of the draft at practices and ultimately a game. This included a number of former Vols who are looking to begin their pro careers.
With the event in the books, Matt Zenitz of CBS spoke with anonymous scouts who gave their thoughts on who helped themself the most from the week in Mobile, Alabama. The scouts placed Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood on the list of risers.
“Highly competitive kid,” an NFL scout told Zenitz about Hood. “Moves well and had a productive week. Did a good job in the interviews.”
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Hood transferred in to Tennessee this past year during the spring window. The former four-star recruit began his career at Auburn before transferring to Colorado. He was a significant piece, though mostly off the bench, for the Buffs on a team that boasted Travis Hunter and was coached by Deion Sanders.
He picked the Vols after going through spring camp with Colorado. The expectation was that he would hold down one of the starting cornerback roles while Jermod McCoy recovered from an ACL injury opposite of Rickey Gibson III. However, Gibson suffered a season-ending injury in the opening game of the year, and McCoy was also unable to play any snaps.
This meant that Hood was the primary cornerback for Tennessee, with true freshman Ty Redmond manning the other side of the field. Hood starred in the role, quickly making a name for himself and landing on first-round mock drafts. Now, he’s considered a potential top-15 pick after a successful start to the off-season draft process.
Next, Hood will have the chance to showout in front of scouts at Tennessee’s Pro Day, which typically is held in March. He’ll almost certainly be invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, as well.