Joe Milton: Tennessee ‘expects to win’ in 2023

Tennessee was knocking on the door of a College Football Playoff appearance last season before Hendon Hooker suffered an injury in the loss to South Carolina. The Vols finished with an 11-2 record, and with Hooker off to the NFL, expectations remain high heading into 2023.

It’ll be Joe Milton under center for Tennessee this season after he served as the backup last season. He knows the vibes are different in 2023 than they were at this time last year. Remember, Tennessee went 7-6 in Josh Heupel’s first season at the helm, which is why the 11-win campaign was a bigger step forward than anticipated.

This year, though, Milton knows how lofty the expectations are. He talked about that at the Manning Passing Academy held at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La.

“We expect to win,” Milton said. “Last year, there was a lot of hope. But we expect to win. That’s the expectation. That’s what we’re going to do.”

Joe Milton on the pressure of being Tennessee’s starting quarterback: ‘It’s another opportunity’

Milton was previously the starting quarterback at Michigan in 2020, throwing for 1,077 yards and four touchdowns before entering the transfer portal. That’s when he made his way to Tennessee, where he and Hooker battled for the starting job as Heupel took over. Milton initially won the job, but Hooker took over after he suffered an injury.

The rest is history. In his two years at Tennessee, Hooker not only threw for 6,080 yards, but also ran for 1,046 and had 68 total touchdowns as he became a third-round pick of the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Now, Hooker leaves some big shoes for Milton to fill, but he’s not fazed by that. He sees it as a chance to prove he’s worthy of being Tennessee’s QB1 — especially considering how much the Vols want to win this year.

“It’s another opportunity,” Milton said. “I don’t look at it no differently. It’s just another opportunity, just another game. You do what you gotta do to win. … My first few years at Michigan, I did not view it that way. I just wanted to be the best version of Joe.

“But now, kinda like, as you get older, you kind of see the whole aspect of the game, and see how life works and you see how things can come by and go. However you treat it, I treat it a little bit different. It has more meaning now. Not because it’s my last year, but just because guys want it more. I see it in their eyes. Like, they’re dedicated. So why not give my all?”

The Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon contributed to this report.