Hendon Hooker not named a Heisman Trophy finalist for Tennessee football

Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker was not voted a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

TCU quarterback Max Duggan, USC quarterback Caleb Williams, Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud were announced as finalists Monday. They will attend the Heisman ceremony on Saturday in New York.

Tennessee has had five players previously finish in the top 4 of Heisman voting. They included tailback George Cafego (fourth, 1939), tailback Hank Lauricella (second, 1951), tailback Johnny Majors (second, 1956), quarterback Heath Shuler (second, 1993) and quarterback Peyton Manning (second, 1997).

Hooker, a sixth-year senior, made a strong case in a wide open race.

Hooker led the No. 1 scoring offense and total offense in the nation. He ranked No. 2 in FBS in passer rating (175.5), trailing only Stroud (176.3). He led the SEC in total offense (324.1 ypg), ranking No. 9 in FBS. And he had 27 TDs and two interceptions for one of the best ratios in college football.

Hooker did some of his best work against elite competition and in the Vols' biggest games. He had 10 TD passes and two interceptions against AP Top 25 teams.

Hooker passed for a career-high 385 yards and five TD passes in a 52-49 win over Alabama. He had 461 yards of total offense and three TDs total in a 38-33 win over rival Florida. He had 295 yards of total offense and two TD passes in a 40-13 win over LSU.

There were a few drawbacks, too.

Hooker had a sub-par performance in a 27-13 loss to No. 1 Georgia. He was off target at times in a 63-38 loss to South Carolina. And he suffered a season-ending torn ACL in that game, which robbed him of a potential stat-stuffing game against Vanderbilt.

Hooker is a finalist for the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award and Manning Award. The Maxwell and Walter Camp winners will be announced on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) on The Home Depot College Football Awards Show. The Manning winner will be announced in January.

Here's where Tennessee players have finished in past Heisman voting

• 1938 George Cafego, tailback (7th, 55 votes)

• 1939 George Cafego, tailback (4th, 296 votes)

• 1940 Bob Suffridge, guard (6th)

• 1951 Hank Lauricella, tailback (2nd, 424 votes)

• 1956 Johnny Majors, tailback (2nd, 994 votes)

• 1964 Steve DeLong, middle guard (8th, 176 votes)

• 1967 Bob Johnson, center (6th, 76 votes)

• 1967 Dewey Warren, quarterback (8th, 56 votes)

• 1969 Steve Kiner, linebacker (9th, 109 votes)

• 1973 Condredge Holloway, quarterback (14th, 98 votes)

• 1976 Larry Seivers, wide Receiver (12th)

• 1993 Heath Shuler, quarterback (2nd, 688 votes)

• 1995 Peyton Manning, quarterback (6th, 109 votes)

• 1996 Peyton Manning, quarterback (8th, 81 votes)

• 1997 Peyton Manning, quarterback (2nd, 1543 votes)

Reach Adam Sparks at adam.sparks@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Hendon Hooker not named a Heisman Trophy finalist for Tennessee football