Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker could not play in the Orange Bowl Friday night. He had torn his ACL in November and missed the final two games of the season. When healthy, Hooker was viewed as a Heisman contender but was ultimately passed over as a finalist. During ESPN’s broadcast of the game, color commentator Greg McElroy gave his opinion on Hooker being excluded.
“The fact that he wasn’t in New York is an absolute joke,” McElroy said. “You’re going to tell me that this guy isn’t one of the top four players in America? I think you’re crazy. It is as simple as that.”
“The fact that he wasn’t in New York (for Heisman finalists) is an absolute joke. It is. It’s an absolute joke. You’re gonna tell me this guy isn’t one of the top four players in America? I think you’re crazy. It’s as simple as that.”- Greg McElroy on Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker pic.twitter.com/peaS5mZayh
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 31, 2022
When the Heisman candidates were announced- Caleb Williams (USC), Max Duggan (TCU), Stetson Bennett (Georgia), and C.J. Stroud (Ohio State), Hooker was considered the most notorious snub. It was controversial to the point where a Volunteers fan paid a bot farm to protest against Bennett’s nomination.
Hooker started 11 games for Tennessee, throwing for 3,135 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only two interceptions. His 89.3 QBR is the best in the FBS, Hooker’s 175.5 passer rating is second only behind Stroud, and his 69.6% completion percentage is ninth. Hooker’s signature performance came against #3 Alabama. He threw for 385 yards, five touchdowns, all to receiver Jalin Hyatt, and added 56 rushing yards in a last-second thriller over the Crimson Tide.
The Vols went 10-1 in Hendon Hooker’s starts, ranking fifth in the country before tearing his ACL in a loss at South Carolina.
Hooker is not the only player that was snubbed due to injury. Michigan running back Blake Corum was considered a contender before his own knee injury ended his season prematurely. USC’s Caleb Williams won the Heisman followed by Duggan, Stroud, and Bennett.
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