Josh Heupel opens up on growth of Joe Milton

Joe Milton is exptected to seamlessly carry the torch Hendon Hooker lit for him over the past two years heading into the 2023 college football season.

Even Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel is buying into the hype.

“I think one of the great stories in college football in the era of the transfer portal is his trust and ability to recognize areas that he can continue to grow in and trust the people around him; that we have his best interests at heart,” Heupel said on Thursday at SEC Media Days. “Understand that within our scheme, he’s going to have an opportunity to do everything he wants to, which is one of the best players in college football.

“Through that process over the last 18 to 24 months, he’s continued to grow in his comfort … meaning fundamentally at the quarterback position, along with understanding offensive and defensive schemes so that he can put his eyes in the right spot, get his body in the right spot to be consistently accurate with the football.”

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 in 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.

Heupel said Milton’s success surprised nobody within the Tennessee program.

“He played extremely well when he got into football games throughout the course of the season,” Heupel said. “But his preparation, his urgency, how he practiced, all those things led him and everybody inside our building to believe that he was going to play at that type of level. And he’s got a lot more out there.

“He’s had a great off-season for 15 practices in spring ball. Did a great job of working, navigating the pocket, and being extremely accurate with the football. I’m really excited to get back on the grass with him during the course of training camp. I believe he’s poised to have a great ’23 season.”

Tennessee kicks off the Joe Milton era against Virginia on Sept. 2 inside Neyland Stadium, and the Vols opened as a 27.5-point favorite over the Cavalier, according to Vegas Insider.