'He should have been in New York' - Former Alabama QB says the Tennessee Vols were robbed of having a Heisman finalist

The Tennessee Vols haven't had a Heisman Trophy finalist since 1997 when UT quarterback Peyton Manning was one of four finalists for the award. 

(Peyton finished as the runner-up to Michigan's Charles Woodson in 1997.)

Tennessee was close to having a finalist in two of the last three seasons. Quarterback Hendon Hooker likely would've been a finalist if not for the season-ending ACL injury that he suffered in the penultimate game of the regular season in 2022. 

Running back Dylan Sampson also had an argument to be a finalist last season after he set a Tennessee single-season record for rushing yards (1,491) and rushing touchdowns (22). 

Travis Hunter (Colorado), Ashton Jeanty (Boise State), Dillon Gabriel (Oregon), and Cam Ward (Miami) were the Heisman finalists last season (with the award going to Hunter).

Former Alabama quarterback turned analyst Greg McElroy thinks that Sampson should've been one of the players invited to New York for the Heisman ceremony last season. 

"They also lose Dylan Sampson," said McElroy last week on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. "Who I thought was amazing last year. And I think he deserved some Heisman Trophy recognition. I'm not sure he should've necessarily won it, but he should have been on the ballot. I think he should have been in New York. I think he was that good for them last year."

Sampson had a historic season against some of the top competition in football (not a single Heisman finalist, by the way, was from the SEC last season). 

The Louisiana native won SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors (just as Hooker did), which I think should guarantee that a player is a Heisman finalist. It's absolutely wild that the best offensive player in the SEC wasn't deemed worthy of being a Heisman finalist. 

Sampson, somewhat absurdly, didn't finish in the top 10 of Heisman Trophy voting last season. 

It might be time for a new roster of Heisman voters...