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Heisman Watch: Hendon Hooker soaring in the Heisman odds, but Bryce Young was better on Saturday

For the rest of the college football season, Yahoo Sports will highlight the leading candidates for the Heisman Trophy on a weekly basis. All odds are via BetMGM.

Hendon Hooker has played an integral role in Tennessee’s incredible rise to No. 3 in the rankings.

Hooker was an average-at-best quarterback at Virginia Tech whose career has taken off after a transfer to Knoxville. Saturday’s 52-49 upset victory over Alabama in Neyland Stadium was the high point in his journey thus far.

Hooker threw for 385 yards and five touchdowns and had two pinpoint completions in the final seconds of regulation to set up the game-winning field goal as time expired.

But as well as Hooker played against the Crimson Tide, he wasn’t the best quarterback on the field. That was Alabama’s Bryce Young.

Young, after missing the Texas A&M game with a shoulder injury, threw for 455 yards and two touchdowns in a hostile atmosphere in Knoxville. With Tennessee defenders in his face all afternoon, Young showed an uncanny feel in the pocket and consistently was able to extend plays and find open receivers. At one point, Young rolled right and looked ready to throw the ball away with a Tennessee defender closing. Instead, he stopped on a dime, set his feet and hit Jermaine Burton for a 12-yard gain.

Later, on a fourth-and-goal play, he evaded pressure and looked like he was about to take off for the end zone when he flipped the ball to Cameron Latu for a game-tying touchdown.

If it didn’t look that impressive at first, look at this angle. Young was so confident he had a touchdown he raised his arms in celebration and took off back to the Alabama sideline before the ball even reached Latu. It was akin to Steph Curry sprinting back on defense before one his 3-pointers even touched the net.

Young, of course, is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. And after Saturday’s loss, his chances to repeat took a dip, according to the oddsmakers over at BetMGM. In fact, Young is now behind four others on the board at +1800.

Hooker, meanwhile, is up at +600 at BetMGM, behind only Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud (-110). Is that just the oddsmakers trying to capitalize on the moment? Hooker engineered an upset in one of the best games of the year, but he still threw an interception, had another called back by a penalty and had a crucial fumble on a botched exchange with his running back.

This isn’t meant to diminish what Hooker has accomplished so far this season. He’s thrown for 1,817 yards with 15 touchdowns and just one interception. He also has 287 yards and three scores on the ground for the 6-0 Vols. But Tennessee has games against No. 19 Kentucky and No. 1 Georgia on the horizon and Hooker has more to prove. If Hooker leads the Vols to wins in those two games — particularly in Athens over the defending national champions — he will undoubtedly emerge as the man to beat in the Heisman race in the final weeks of the regular season.

Though the crop of contenders seems to be narrowing, the Heisman race still has a long way to go.

Ohio State QB CJ Stroud (-110)

After finishing fourth in the Heisman voting last year, Stroud has emerged as the betting favorite for the Heisman over the first half of the season. It’s for good reason, too. The second-year Ohio State starter has lit up defenses during the Buckeyes’ 6-0 start to the season. Stroud has thrown for 1,737 yards and 24 touchdowns with three interceptions while completing 70.6% of his attempts. In his most recent outing, Stroud completed 21 of 26 throws for 361 yards and six touchdowns in a win over Michigan State.

The one blemish on Stroud’s resume is the lackluster competition OSU has faced to this point. The schedule picks up a bit in the coming weeks with a visit from Iowa and a trip to Penn State. More importantly, the highly-anticipated rematch with Michigan looms on Nov. 26. Stroud struggled in the loss in Ann Arbor last year and his Heisman candidacy will likely come down to how he plays against the Wolverines this year.

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud plays against Rutgers during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud is the current betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker (+600)

It wasn’t that long ago that the Virginia Tech staff under Justin Fuente opted to play Braxton Burmeister over Hooker in Blacksburg. And then, when Hooker arrived in Knoxville, he was initially beaten out by Joe Milton for the starting job. But when Milton, a Michigan transfer, went down with an injury, Hooker stepped into the QB1 role for Tennessee and hasn’t relinquished it. Not only that, he keeps getting better.

So far this year, Hooker is second in the nation in yards per attempt (10.7), trailing only Stroud (10.9). He’s also second to Stroud in QB rating, has three 300-yard games and has completed at least 70% of his passes in four of UT’s six games.

USC QB Caleb Williams (+700)

After following Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma to USC, Caleb Williams has found immediate success with the Trojans. Williams has thrown for 1,971 yards, 19 touchdowns and just one interception so far this year. He has also rushed for 235 yards and three scores.

Williams had arguably his best performance in a USC uniform on Saturday night in a heartbreaking, one-point loss to Utah. Williams threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns while adding 57 rushing yards. Much like Young, he has shown an incredible ability to extend plays with his feet.

USC is 6-1 on the year and is still in an excellent position to get to the Pac-12 title game — and maybe even be in playoff contention. The Trojans have a bye this week before a very manageable upcoming schedule that includes a trip to Arizona and home games against Cal and Colorado. From there, things get more difficult with a trip to UCLA and a visit from Notre Dame. That UCLA game will likely be Williams’ best opportunity to make a big impression on voters.

Michigan RB Blake Corum (+1200)

Corum continues to climb the Heisman odds board as he climbs near the top of the rushing yards list nationally. Corum is second in the nation in rushing with 901 yards, trailing only IllinoisChase Brown. Brown, who has 1,059 yards, has 46 more carries on the year than Corum, but Corum leads the nation with 13 rushing touchdowns.

Corum has gone past the 100-yard mark in Michigan’s last four games, including a 243-yard effort vs. Maryland and 166 yards in Saturday’s win over Penn State. With Michigan undefeated and in the national title conversation, expect Corum’s name to stay near the top of the Heisman odds as long as he keeps producing. And with Michigan leaning heavily on the run, it’d be a surprise if that didn’t happen.

Alabama QB Bryce Young (+1800)

Only one player has ever won multiple Heismans. That was Archie Griffin back in 1974 and 1975. Despite the historical precedent, this still feels like a good buy low opportunity on Young, who has thrown for 1,657 yards and 16 touchdowns. Young opened up at +250 and is now all the way at +1800 to win the Heisman despite his stellar play.

With the way this Alabama team is constructed, particularly the drop-off at receiver from last year, Young is going to have to shoulder a heavy load to get this team back to the College Football Playoff. There’s a pretty clear path. Consecutive road games at LSU and Ole Miss will be tricky and the Iron Bowl is always competitive no matter the state of Auburn’s program.

If Young leads the Tide through that stretch unscathed, an SEC title game with Georgia or Tennessee lingers. With another SEC title, it’d be hard to go against Young, wouldn't it?

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws against Tennessee Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessee won 52-49. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws against Tennessee Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessee won 52-49. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei (+2500)

After a miserable 2021 season, DJ Uiagalelei has rebounded very nicely. Clemson is undefeated and once again the class of the ACC headed into a big matchup with Syracuse this weekend. Uiagalelei has thrown for 1,665 yards and 17 touchdowns with just two interceptions while completing 64% of his attempts. He also has 337 yards and four scores on the ground. By comparison, Uiagalelei threw for 2,246 yards, nine touchdowns and 10 INTs last season. He also had a completion percentage of 55.6%. The improvement is obvious, but a run to the Heisman feels like a long shot.

Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs (+2500)

The other star on Alabama’s offense is running back Jahmyr Gibbs, a transfer from Georgia Tech. Gibbs was a lone bright spot on a bad Yellow Jackets team over the past two years. And he has acquitted himself very well with the step up in competition. Gibbs has 635 yards and five touchdowns on just 88 carries. That’s an average of 7.2 yards per carry. A lot of that production — 463 yards and five TDs — has come over the past three games. He’s also caught 27 passes for 268 yards and three scores so far this season.

UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (+2500)

A fifth-year starter for UCLA, Dorian Thompson-Robinson is making his final college season count. The Bruins are undefeated headed into a marquee matchup with Oregon this weekend and Thompson-Robinson is playing the best football of his career. Through six games, Thompson-Robinson has thrown for 1,510 yards and 15 touchdowns while completing 74.8% of his throws. He also has four rushing touchdowns on the year.

The Bruins have already notched ranked wins over Washington and Utah at home. If they can beat No. 10 Oregon on the road, Thompson-Robinson should vault up the Heisman odds board.

Others on the radar

  • Kansas State QB Adrian Martinez (+3000)

  • Oklahoma State QB Spencer Sanders (+3000)

  • North Carolina QB Drake Maye (+3000)

  • Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman (+5000)

  • Georgia QB Stetson Bennett (+5000)

  • TCU QB Max Duggan (+5000)