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John Harbaugh discusses coaching Colton Hood's uncle in NFL
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- John Harbaugh discusses coaching Colton Hood's uncle in NFL
John Harbaugh was hired as the Giants’ head coach on Jan. 20 after serving in the same capacity at Baltimore from 2008-25.
In his first NFL draft as New York’s head coach, the Giants selected Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood in the second round (No. 37 overall).
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Hood began his collegiate career at Auburn in 2023 before transferring to Colorado (2024) and Tennessee (2025). His uncle, Roderick Hood, also played defensive back at Auburn from 2000-02.
Roderick Hood played for the Eagles from 2003-06 when Harbaugh was Philadelphia’s special teams coordinator.
"I know the type of family this young man comes from and the type person he is," Harbaugh said after drafting the Tennessee cornerback . "I know the kind of athlete he is. This is a corner with traits and ball skills. Traits and ball skills at corner. Plus he's a high-character guy, so he's going to light a fire in that room. You better be ready. You better be ready to compete."
Colton Hood played in 12 games at Tennessee during the 2025 regular season, totaling 50 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, one interception, nine pass deflections, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
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"My uncle always told me how good of a person was, but also how hard of a coach he was and how good of a coach he was," the former Vol said of Harbaugh . "Definitely somebody I want to be coached by and somebody I want to play for."
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Colton Hood. Tennessee Volunteers versus Arkansas Razorbacks football at Neyland Stadium on Oct. 11, 2025.
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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: John Harbaugh discusses Giants drafting cornerback Colton Hood
