Joe Milton discusses how Hendon Hooker helped coach him from the sidelines in regular season finale

It would be easy for Joe Milton and Hendon Hooker to have a tense relationship. They both came to Tennessee as transfers and battled for the starting job. Ultimately, Hooker won it, but the two maintained a good relationship.

When Hooker tore his ACL, it meant that Milton would be replacing him. Tennessee only had one game left, against a Vanderbilt team trying to make a bowl game. The Volunteers dominated the Commodores 56-0, with Milton playing well.

“I mean, he was pretty much saying either it was a good job or just fix my eyes on certain plays, but I mean anything it was,” Joe Milton said.

“You know, I’m not big on falling back on criticism. I love it. So, from him, it’s great. He’s gonna help me, regardless of the situation. So, it was great.”

Joe Milton’s next challenge will be taking on Clemson in the Orange Bowl, before projecting to be the starter for the 2023 season.

Milton is doing everything for Hooker

Joe Milton and Hendon Hooker are obviously close with one another. Now that Hooker is injured and lost the end of his time at Tennessee to that injury, Milton is playing for him.

“If you look at Hendon himself he’s a warrior and we live together so I told him every day this week that it’s for him. I mean yeah, I’m trying to get my stats, but at the end of the day it’s for him because he put in a lot of effort for this,” Joe Milton said.

“There’s some nights Hendon don’t even go to sleep, he’s up all night so when he got hurt and went down man, it’s really just playing for him.”

Hendon Hooker’s legacy at Tennessee

Head coach Josh Heupel explained Hendon Hooker’s legacy at Tennessee shortly after he was injured.

“He comes back this morning and he’s got great energy, got a huge smile on his face. You can see how he’s gone through his journey and why he’s been able to have success through all the ups and downs,” Heupel said.

“Man, he’s so consistent and very positive. He’s able to flip forward and there’s no doubt he’ll be successful on the back end of this, too…He represents everything that is good about college football. A young man that has learned how to become a grown man, that does it the right way, that cares about his teammates, that has grown outside of the game, that has grown inside of the game.”