Hendon Hooker for Heisman? Yes, put Tennessee football quarterback in the hunt | Toppmeyer

Hendon Hooker didn’t sign up for this.

Hooker, in January 2021, signed to play for Jeremy Pruitt’s Tennessee Vols as a graduate transfer.

And then Hooker received the greatest gift a quarterback pledged to Pruitt could ever receive: a coaching change. Tennessee fired Pruitt weeks after Hooker’s signing. Out went the coach with the risk-averse offensive system. In came Josh Heupel with his warp-speed offense that has brought out the best from one quarterback after another.

Hooker didn't need long to get on board with the new boss.

“Once I learned that he was coming here to be our head coach, I was very excited,” Hooker said Saturday after Tennessee’s 38-33 victory over Florida at Neyland Stadium.

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Heupel wanted Hooker to play for him years ago. He recruited him while he was Missouri’s offensive coordinator, but Hooker never made it out for a recruiting visit, and he signed with Virginia Tech. Then Heupel became Central Florida’s coach, and Hooker watched from afar as Heupel’s Knights piled up points.

“This offense is amazing,” Hooker said. “I remember when he was UCF, I used to watch their games on ESPN whenever I could. I was a big fan.”

This quarterback can win a Heisman Trophy with this coach.

“He’s special,” said Heupel, a Heisman runner-up in 2000.

Hooker reiterated that Saturday, when his 461 yards of total offense unlocked just the second Tennessee victory against Florida in its last 18 tries in this rivalry.

“Fierce,” Heupel said of Hooker’s performance. “He played like a warrior.”

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No Tennessee player has won the Heisman. Four Vols were runners up – most recently, Peyton Manning in 1997, second to Charles Woodson, in a controversial finish.

Entering this game, Hooker was a longshot for college football’s top individual award.

Now, he’s in the thick of it.

Unfortunately for Hooker, September performances don’t count the same as November and December outings do for this award. Consider, Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson catapulted to a second-place finish for the Heisman last year thanks to a great Thanksgiving weekend performance in an upset of Ohio State. Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. was the best defensive player throughout last season, but Hutchinson’s big showing against the Buckeyes carried outsized weight.

So, for Hooker to be a Heisman finalist, he’ll need quality performances in SEC games throughout October and November.

But, he’s got a few advantages. Heisman voters gravitate to bigtime stats, and Heupel’s fast-tempo offense lengthens games with extra possessions and plays. It’s also a quarterback-friendly system that puts a dual threat like Hooker in position to gain yards with either his arm or his legs.

Heisman voters also are swayed by standout performances versus the stoutest foes, and Tennessee’s schedule will afford Hooker those opportunities against Alabama and Georgia.

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Working against Hooker: Heisman voters are inclined to vote from a player from one of the nation’s best teams. Seven of the eight Heisman winners during the College Football Playoff era played for playoff qualifier.

Hooker’s excellence elevates Tennessee to a team that should contend for a New Year’s Six bowl like the Sugar Bowl or Orange Bowl. But a playoff bid would require an upset against either Alabama or Georgia, plus running the table against other opponents.

That’s unlikely, although it has little to do with Hooker. A Tennessee defense that allowed 594 yards against a mediocre Florida team is likely to be feasted upon by Alabama, Georgia and perhaps others.

Plus, one month into the season, this looks like a deep Heisman field.

Among quarterbacks, alone, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Georgia’s Stetson Bennett IV and Alabama’s Bryce Young are worthy frontrunners. And, with so many talented quarterbacks in the SEC, that results in vote-splitting. Voters are allowed three players on their Heisman ballots, and voters outside of the South are unlikely to go for an All-SEC Heisman ballot.

The deck remains stacked against Hooker winning the Heisman, but he’s firmly in the conversation. He earned his place by slaying the Gators.

Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Hendon Hooker for Heisman? Put Tennessee football quarterback in hunt