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What do Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker and Alabama’s Bryce Young have in common besides the fact that they’re quarterbacks in the SEC? They’re Heisman favorites.
In On3’s latest Heisman hot board, both Matt Zenitz and Mike Huguenin listed Hooker and Young as candidates for college football’s most coveted trophy. Zenitz listed Hooker as his top option while Young came in second. Meanwhile, Huguenin listed Hooker as the No. 2 selection behind Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud.
Young, who took home the award following his record-setting season in 2021, was listed as Huguenin’s 5th option.
The Hooker hype is real, especially following his performance against the Crimson Tide last Saturday in the annual ‘Third Saturday in October’ matchup. A 2-year starter and graduate transfer from Virginia Tech, Hooker threw for 385 yards and 5 touchdowns against 1 interception en route to a 52-49 win in Neyland Stadium.
Our @on3sports Week 8 Heisman boardhttps://t.co/MVbSC772di pic.twitter.com/xRQ6IqPMOT
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) October 18, 2022
Behind Hooker’s arm, Tennessee snapped a 15-year losing streak to Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. This season, the senior has completed 70.7% of his throws for 1,817 yards and 15 touchdowns against 1 interception. He’s also averaged 4.9 yards per carry as a runner and has scored 3 TDs with his legs.
Young, who missed Alabama’s 24-20 win over Texas A&M in Week 6, returned to action Saturday and didn’t miss a beat. The Alabama QB completed 35-of-52 passes for 455 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also finished with a passer rating of 153.5.
Other quarterbacks listed by Zenitz and Huguenin were USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Zenitz named Michigan running back Blake Corum as his non-QB dark horse while Huguenin listed Illinois running back Chase Brown.
Corum leads all FBS runners in rushing touchdowns (13) while Brown leads the nation in rushing yards (1,059).
Cole Thompson is a freelance writer for Saturday Football who has covered college football and the NFL for multiple websites. Thompson is currently based in Houston, Texas, and also can be heard daily on SportsMap National Radio's 'Just Sayin It' from 3am-6am.
