Greg McElroy, a Heisman voter, weighs in on Hendon Hooker as a Heisman favorite

Hendon Hooker has college football world in the palm of his hands following a dazzling performance in Tennessee‘s 52-49 upset over Alabama in Knoxville.

Now with the second-best odds to take home the Heisman Trophy (+500), the debate over whether Hooker should be the unanimous favorite for the award come December has taken off since the upset victory. Former Alabama quarterback and college football analyst Greg McElroy addressed the situation on a recent episode of ESPN’s Always College Football.

“I don’t think it’s knee jerk, But he’s been on the shortlist, I think, for the last few weeks,” McElroy said of Hooker’s Heisman hopes. “The performances that we’ve seen from him almost every week, it’s difficult to make a case against him.”

The Vols scored 52 points against the Crimson Tide, the most in modern history, and came thanks to the lethal connection between Hooker and wideout Jalin Hyatt. Hyatt had the performance of a lifetime, hauling in six receptions for 207 yards and a whopping five touchdowns. Hooker finished with 385 passing yards as well.

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It was a complete performance for the Vols’ signal caller, but McElroy pointed to the fourth quarter when Alabama’s scoop-and-score put the Crimson Tide ahead 49-42 as the moment all Heisman voters should remember.

The Vols could have imploded in that situation – most teams do, especially against Alabama – but Hooker carried the offense on the very next drive for the equalizer before ultimately leading his team into field goal range for the game-winning field goal.

“That, to me, was his Heisman moment,” McElroy continued. “And none of the throws and that sequence will get talked about like some of the ones that he made in the first 50 minutes of the game. But that was guts. That was poise. And that was what I remember most about the performance from Hendon Hooker and the entire Tennessee football team.”