Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker is firmly entrenched in the Heisman Trophy conversation as we near the midpoint of the 2022 college football season.

Hooker was impressive in the Vols' 40-13 blowout win against LSU on Saturday.

The Greensboro, NC native passed for 239 yards and two touchdowns against the Tigers. He also added 56 rushing yards on 10 carries.

As a result of his strong performance on the road against LSU, ESPN has elevated Hooker to No. 2 in their "Heisman Five" rankings.

Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud is No. 1.

From ESPN:

Hooker led Tennessee to another dominant win, throwing for 239 yards and two touchdowns without a pick. Since Hooker's first start for the Vols in Week 3 of last season, he's 12-5 with 41 passing touchdowns (20 more than his former team, Virginia Tech, has in that span) while throwing just two interceptions (19 fewer than SEC East rival Florida).

An absolute dime from @henhook2

? @espn
? https://t.co/lnbA1pDKyh pic.twitter.com/fVfDjIdQwe

— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 8, 2022

ESPN's Dan Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback who was calling the Tennessee/LSU game, suggested on Saturday that Hooker is currently the front-runner for the Heisman.

Dan Orlovsky just said if the Heisman were given out today, Hendon Hooker would win it ?‼️ #Vols

— Samantha Casano (@samantha_casano) October 8, 2022

For Hooker to have a legitimate chance to win the Heisman, the Vols will likely need to beat Alabama and/or Georgia this season.

Before the season started, beating either of those teams seemed unlikely.

But now, it feels like Tennessee is more than capable of beating both Alabama and Georgia.

Who would've thought that's a sentence anyone would be writing this season? The Vols are poised to make things interesting in the SEC East down the stretch.

Featured image via Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK