He’s a longshot, but he should put up some big numbers.
There’s one thing notably missing from Tennessee’s storied football history — a Heisman Trophy winner. Through six national title seasons, no Volunteer has ever won the prestigious award. Really over the last two decades, no Tennessee player has even really come close.
You have to go all the way back to 1997 to find the last opportunity. You know, the one where Charles Woodson managed to beat out Peyton Manning.
With Tennessee hiring Josh Heupel last year and the award having a heavy offensive lean to it, the odds of the Volunteers producing a potential Heisman contender instantly increased. Heupel’s offense didn’t disappoint in 2021, instantly making Tennessee competitive once again. Hendon Hooker was the main beneficiary, guiding one of the most efficient offensive attacks Knoxville has ever seen.
Now heading into his first and only full offseason as the unquestioned starter, expectations are high. Hooker threw for 2,945 yards and 31 touchdowns after missing the first two games of the season. He threw just three interceptions, while running for an additional 620 yards.
Can he take another step forward? He’s expected to do so, with four of five starters up front returning along with top receiver Cedric Tillman.
Vegas expects him to be one of the top players in the country. Hooker’s odds to take home the Heisman trophy now sit at +4500, per DraftKings Sportsbook. That’s 14th on the board as things currently stand.
Hooker is going to have to lead Tennessee to a pretty special season to beat out the likes of CJ Stroud or Bryce Young, who are obvious frontrunners for the award. However, this is Tennessee’s best chance at the trophy in quite some time.
The full odds are listed below.
2022 Heisman Trophy Odds
CJ Stroud (QB, Ohio State) +250
Bryce Young (QB, Alabama) +350
Caleb Williams (QB, USC) +900
Bijan Robinson (RB, Texas) +2000
Will Anderson (Edge, Alabama) +2500
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR, Ohio State) +2800
Dillon Gabriel (QB, Oklahoma) +3500
DJ Uiagalelei (QB, Clemson) +3500
Tyler Van Dyke (QB, Miami) +3500
TreVeyon Henderson (RB, Ohio State) +4000
Spencer Rattler (QB, South Carolina) +4000
Anthony Richardson (QB, Florida) +4000
Kedon Slovis (QB, Pitt) +4000
Hendon Hooker (QB, Tennessee) +4500
Quinn Ewers (QB, Texas) +4500
Jaxson Dart (QB, Ole Miss) +4500
Leave a Reply