Joe Milton opens up on biggest changes he has seen since coming to SEC

Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton spent the past week showing off his arm alongside some of the best college quarterbacks at the Manning Passing Academy held at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La.

During his stay, Milton, who began his college football career at Michigan, detailed the differences between playing against defenses in the Big 10 vs. in the SEC. He made sure to give a nod to his former conference, but it’s no surprise Milton believes the SEC is the stronger conference overall.

“Guys are way faster. Stronger? No. Guys were pretty strong at Michigan. But faster, yes. Guys are actually running sideline to sideline,” Milton revealed. “In the Big 10, there were only a couple of guys that could do that. We had Devin Bush, but he wasn’t tackling me. He was on my team. Now, you’ve got guys [in the SEC] running sideline to sideline in every game.”

Bush starred in his role as a linebacker for the Wolverines and was subsequently picked up in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He was a unicorn in the Big 10, but would’ve fit right in with the NFL-ready linebackers throughout the SEC.

So when Milton made the jump from Michigan to Tennessee, on paper, there was going to be a learning curve. Being allowed to play behind Hendon Hooker for two seasons in Josh Heupel’s system, as well as practicing against the Vols’ defense on a daily basis, is what helped Milton acclimate to the speed of the game in the SEC.

Since arriving in Knoxville in 2020, Milton has passed for 1,346 yards and has a 12-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio entering his final season of eligibility. Before that, he played for Michigan from 2018-2020 before hitting the transfer portal and settling down and finding a home at Tennessee.

After being forced into a starting role following Hooker‘s torn ACL late last season, Milton helped lead the Vols to pivotal a 31-14 win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl. He completed 19 of his 28 attempts (67.9 percent) for 251 yards and three touchdowns. The win cemented Tennessee as having arrived back on the national scene in college football.

He’s been a more than reliable backup over the past two seasons and is now poised to excel in his new extended role, especially after his strong performance in the Orange Bowl when his team needed it the most.

The Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon contributed to this article