Tennessee CB Colton Hood declares for 2026 NFL Draft, opts out of bowl
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Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood has declared for the 2026 NFL Draft and opted out of the Music City Bowl.
Hood is projected as an early round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. He has been slotted as high as the first round in mock drafts.
No. 23 Tennessee (8-4) plays Illinois (8-4) in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Nashville.
Hood was one of the SEC's best cornerbacks after transferring from Colorado to Tennessee. He had 50 tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, eight pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and two defensive TDs this season.
Hood was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given annually to college football's best defensive back. And he was among Tennessee's few bright spots on a struggling pass defense.
Other players who have officially announced they have opted out of the bowl game to enter the portal or declare for the NFL draft: quarterback Jake Merklinger (portal), wide receiver Chris Brazzell (draft), running back Peyton Lewis (portal), linebackers Arion Carter (draft) and Brenden Anes (portal), cornerback Jermond McCoy (draft), defensive back Marcus Goree (portal), defensive lineman Jamal Wallace (portal) and defensive end Kellen Lindstrom (portal).
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Colton Hood: Tennessee CB declares for 2026 NFL Draft, opts out of bowl
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