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Robert Griffin III: Hendon Hooker should have been a Heisman finalist

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax12/06/22BarkleyTruax
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(Kirkland/Getty Images)

Hendon Hooker will not be one of the four men set to travel to New York City for the Heisman Trophy ceremony this weekend.

The Tennessee superstar tore his ACL against South Carolina in the second to last week of the regular season, effectively ending his season one game early. Whether that had anything to do with the final Heisman votings – a former Heisman Trophy winner, Robert Griffin III, expressed his discontent with the final field of four when it was officially announced.

“Hendon Hooker should have been invited to New York,” Griffin wrote Monday night.

After Tennessee defeated Alabama midseason, UT was the hottest team in the country – even ranking as high as No. 1 in the AP Top 25 – and Hooker was the undisputed favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Those rankings would drop, but Hooker’s numbers are as good as any of the four finalists that were selected Monday.

Before going down with his torn ACL, Hooker threw for 3,135 yards, had a 27-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio to go with an 89.4 QBR – all top 25 in every category – it’s hard to understand why he was left off the ballet, especially considering he was a major threat in the running game, too. Hooker’s commanding presence under center was unrivaled in the SEC this season.

That could be said about a few of the finalists in their respective divisions, though too. USC‘s Caleb Williams and Ohio State‘s CJ Stroud were expected to make the field, but Max Duggan earned his ticket to NYC after his elite performance in TCU‘s Big-12 Championship overtime loss. You could argue Hooker going in over Georgia‘s Stetson Bennett, who eclipses Hooker in passing yards statistically, but nothing else. The fact that Bennett led his team to an undefeated College Football Playoff berth likely gave him the nod over Hooker.

The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner is set to be announced Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET live from New York City. ESPN will carry the national broadcast.