Voting underway for the 2022 Heisman Trophy
Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker could be among the finalists in the prestigious award.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Now that the regular season has concluded for college football, the Heisman Trophy ballots have been sent to voters.
One player that has more than earned an opportunity to be considered as a Heisman finalist is Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker. However, his odds of becoming a top-four finalist took a massive hit earlier this month due to the torn ACL he suffered in the Vols’ loss to South Carolina.
At one time, Hooker was the favorite in the Heisman Trophy race. Now, USC quarterback Caleb Williams appears to be the lead in the Heisman race with Hooker sidelined.
Regardless, the star quarterback should still be in the conversation.
Despite missing the season finale against Vanderbilt, he wouldn’t be the first player to miss a game and be invited to the Heisman ceremony. In 1993, Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward won the Heisman Trophy after missing a game against Maryland (the 9th game of the season) with a rib injury.
Ward beat out Tennessee quarterback Heath Shuler for the award that year.
During Hooker’s 2022 campaign, he passed for 3,135 yards, which is 19th best and just behind Georgia’s quarterback Stetson Bennett. Hooker has the 8th-best completion percentage at 69.9, tossing for 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
Beyond the individual stats, he’s helped lead Tennessee to places it hadn’t been in decades.
The team beat five top-25 AP teams, defeated Alabama, LSU, and Florida in the same year and was once the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff rankings.
The Volunteers did all of it with one of the toughest schedules in college football. However, for Hooker to be invited to New York, he has to receive enough votes to put him in the top four of all candidates.
The Heisman voting began on Nov. 28 and ends on Dec. 5. The four finalists will be announced on December 5.
Dec. 10 will mark the announcement of the 2022 Heisman Trophy Winner via the televised Heisman Ceremony on ESPN.
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