Iverson Hooks Nears Milestones Ahead of Season Finale
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - November 29, 2025
The best season of Iverson Hooks’ college career won’t end with a winning record. But the UAB wide receiver still has a lot to play for in Saturday’s season-ending game at Tulsa.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound redshirt sophomore is 119 yards short of becoming the fifth player in school history to have a 1,000-yard receiving season. With 67 catches, he is currently fourth in single season receptions and is 10 receptions short of sole possession of second place in that category. He enters the final week of the regular season ranked 12th nationally and second in the American Conference in receptions per game (6.07). He’ll have the opportunity to build those numbers on Saturday at 2 p.m. when the Blazers (3-8 overall) and Tulsa (4-7) conclude the season in an American Conference game.
It’s been a season that Hooks expected since coming to UAB in 2022 and transforming from a high school quarterback to a true freshman wide receiver. But it didn’t come until his fourth college season.
“Mentally, I feel like this is probably the best space I've been in in a long time,” Hooks said. “I have a whole coaching staff around me that wants to build me to be the best player. My coach, Coach Kevin (Garver), he came from the NFL. So, you know, I learned different things from him. He taught me it's not all about just getting the football. It's not all about just blocking. It's about the mental space you're at, how you control yourself, and the circumstances that come to you during the game. You might be down 21, you might be up 21. You just got to have that same composure and fire whenever you step in between them white lines.”
The expectations heading into the season was for Hooks to join with Corri Milliner as the leaders of the receiving corps. Milliner had 24 catches for 341 yards with three touchdowns but only played in five games because of a pair of suspensions. Hooks stepped forward as the leader with Brandon Hawkins Jr. putting together his best season with 40 catches for 532 yards and four touchdowns.
It was a particularly special season for Hooks, who has fought injuries throughout his football career.
“He's really been a joy to coach, and he's been through a lot, too, when you go back to some of the injuries he's had going back to high school, all the way through some of his early years here,” said UAB interim head coach Alex Mortensen. “I know that's been hard for him. It's been emotionally difficult for him. And so really taking a lot of joy in seeing him have the kind of success he's had here lately.”
Hooks became the first player in UAB history to catch at least 10 passes in two games during the same season. He had 10 catches for 172 yards for three touchdowns in a win over Memphis and 10 catches for 146 yards last week against South Florida. The Memphis game, he said, will stay with him forever.
“I would most definitely say that's one of the greatest games I ever played in because that was a game that I made a statement,” Hooks said. “It was just a game that I felt like I played a perfect game mentally and physically. We came out, we didn't really rush nothing, we didn't force nothing. It was just a natural thing. I was getting open. So it wasn't like we were forcing me the ball. It was just like we were doing our job and it was just constantly clicked.”
He has also been consistent. He had at least four catches in every game, has a team-high six touchdown receptions and gained at least 70 yards in seven of the team’s 11 games thus far.
“Iverson Hooks is a very, very, very good football player,” Mortensen said. “And, you know, he's got a great background. He's played quarterback in high school. And I think it shows up in the way he plays the game. He's a really savvy player. He's got really good instincts. He makes good decisions when you give him choices and routes. You know, even last week (against South Florida) we gave him a chance to throw a double pass. It was covered. He made a great decision not to throw it. He's a really good real-time decision maker. He's a good athlete. He's quick. He's fast. He's very competitive. He's a guy that a lot of times when the moment gets bigger, he does not shrink.”
Perhaps the most important unknown is where Hooks will be following this season. With the resume padding he added this season, Hooks will have options to move on if that’s his plan. For now, though, he is focusing on helping the Blazers put a positive end on a frustrating season on Saturday in Tulsa.
“I mean, it's no point of running from it,” Hooks said. “Of course, there's thoughts going through your head. I have my own family, just like everybody else has their own family. The decision, of course, won't be made until after the season because I have to focus on the game I have left. I have to be healthy throughout and be focused with my teammates. I can't really think too far ahead because anything can happen. I'm looking at (the last game) as a chance to make memories with as many as my UAB friends as I can, with many of my UAB teammates as I can, because you never know what can happen at the end of the season.”