Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker was not among the finalists for the 2022 Heisman Trophy Award. That honor went to USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who beat out Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, TCU’s Max Duggan and Georgia’s Stetson Bennett.
Hooker’s finalist snub upset many across the college football landscape. One Vols fan even went as far as to hire a bot farm in a form of protest. Even some of the finalists themselves felt that Hooker was being disrespected.
Nearly a month later and Hooker’s absence at the Heisman Trophy presentation in New York is still a sore subject.
During Tennessee’s 31-14 Orange Bowl victory over Clemson on Friday night, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy vented his frustration.
"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
“The fact that he wasn’t in New York 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,” McElroy said during the broadcast.
Hooker was unable to play in the game after suffering a torn ACL in late November but was on hand to offer his teammates support. Earlier on Friday, he had also written a goodbye to Tennessee fans via The Players’ Tribune.
“Thank you for taking the time to watch me play, and to have my back, and to welcome me into the Tennessee family with open arms,” Hooker wrote, in part.
Hooker never made a stink about being a Heisman finalist snub but he didn’t need to. There were plenty of others out there willing to do it for him, and rightfully so.
