Tough, resilient Iverson Hooks aims for big role in the Oregon offense

New Oregon transfer slot receiver Iverson Hooks played quarterback and free safety in high school, coming back twice from knee surgeries, a torn ACL in his right knee as a freshman, a torn ACL in his left knee as a junior.

As a senior at Pike Road High in Pike Road, Alabama, about 20 miles from Montgomery, Hooks led the Patriots to a 14-0 season and the state 5A Championship. Quinshon Judkins, the Ole Miss and Ohio State running back now with the Cleveland Browns, lined up next to him.

Senior year, first game back for Hooks, Judkins was out with a minor leg injury. The Pats were set to face 6A McGill-Toolen, an 11-win team the season before. Hooks kept the ball 16 times for 307 yards, with touchdowns of 66, 85, 86, 1 and 4 yards and 5-of-6 passing for 219 yards with touchdowns of 58, 76 and 55 yards.

An athlete with 4.4 speed in the 40, Hooks' options at 5-10, 175 were limited as a quarterback at the next level. UAB offered him at wide receiver.

Quarterback/safety background makes him a heady wide receiver

Besides speed he had elite football knowledge. His brother Dre Reynolds had worked and trained with him since youth football.

“We’d get him in a room and we’d study offensive formations and we’d study defensive formations," Reynolds said. "He always studied safety. He always studied quarterback. It wasn't playing outside, it wasn't playing on video games. It was me and him in the house studying football. I knew when I played football, if you got that high IQ of the game, even with less talent, it can take you far."

"We built that up a long time ago. Throughout his little league career, leading up to middle school and high school, that’s where all the coaches bragged on Iverson. Even with him having 4.4, 4.3 speed, great athletic ability, the first thing coming out of high school coaches mouths was they couldn’t believe his football IQ.”

The knowledge of routes, coverages and schemes shows in his heady, productive style as a slot receiver for UAB. Against Memphis last season he grabbed 11 passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns.

As a little guy in a violent game, Hooks does a tremendous job of finding holes in the defense and battling for the football. He moves the chains and makes plays while protecting his body at the same time, not afraid to go over the middle or make contested catches, yet getting down or out of bounds when necessary. He's smart, resourceful.

Comparisons to Tez Johnson are inevitable. From Pinson, Alabama, Tez was 5-10, 165 with the Ducks. Hooks measures 5-10, 175, built for a similar role, maybe a shade faster.

As a redshirt freshman at UAB, he tore the ACL in his left knee again, going out of bounds after making a catch.

“I mean, I'm not afraid to say there were nights I cried myself to sleep," Hooks said. "When you’re mentally beat up, there’s going to be nights like that. God just blessed me, like, you just go to keep faith. You might feel bad that day, but the next day you got to get up and hit it with all you got. You never know if that’s gonna be the day that God shows you that you can really make it. You can never take a chance to let that slip away.”

It took two more years, but as a junior he emerged as the Blazers' leading receiver and earned a promotion to the Power 4 at Oregon. The experience playing quarterback and free safety, the resilience he learned in three successful rehab efforts, make him a strong candidate for a leadership role in a young Duck receiver room.

Considering that two of his new teammates, Evan Stewart and Dakorien Moore, are working their own way back from injuries gives him added value in three ways, as an offensive weapon, an insurance policy and as a role model.

There's another way he could be vital for the Ducks. Dante Moore's biggest area for growth lies in his ability to handle pressure when things are breaking down, learning to make adjustments and protect his offensive line. A slot receiver who excels at underneath routes and getting open in the scramble drill can be a huge asset.

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