Joey Halzle calls Joe Milton completely different since his arrival at Tennessee

Joe Milton is a completely different guy and quarterback since he arrived at Tennessee, according to offensive coordinator Joey Halzle.

Milton is firmly in the spotlight on an SEC contending team after taking over late last season. But now, there are huge expectations since he’s no longer in the relief role.

But he took steps throughout his career to improve steadily, as Halzle sees.

“Yeah he’s a completely different guy,” Halzle said. “Not just player, but his attention to detail is elite. He came back after that Clemson game and he was hungry to keep learning to keep pushing forward. He didn’t rest on his laurels, ‘like alright, cool. I figured it out.’ 

“He pushed. I think he saw the success that he had, and he knows what his talent can do. And now his mentality as far as how much he wants to learn, how much he’s just consuming the game at all times. It’s fun to be a part of right now and it’s a special mindset that that kid has.”

Once Milton stepped in for Hendon Hooker, he was lights out last season. He finished with 971 yards, 10 touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 64.6% completion percentage.

Safe to say, the offense won’t be a problem.

As a member of the Class of 2018, Milton was a four-star recruit out of Orlando (Fla.) Olympia, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 42 overall prospect in the state, the No. 17 quarterback in the class and the No. 242 overall prospect in the class.

Joe Milton downplays personal hype at Tennessee

While some across the country are buying into their hype, the volunteer starting quarterback says he’s not worried about it.

“I mean, it’s cool. It’s cool and all, but y’all know me; I’m not that type of person to fall into that type of stuff,” Milton said.

While Milton may not concern himself with the hype surrounding his first full season as the Tennessee starting quarterback, that does not mean he is not aware of it. But at the very least, does he read any of it or pay attention to it?

“No. To be honest with you, I don’t. I mean, you see it. You can’t not see it; it’s on social media everywhere. If you go on a sports page, you see my face. It’s cool and all. But at the same time, you have to understand what the main thing is. The main thing is winning. So why not focus on that?”