Paul Finebaum discusses Joe Milton hype, why he feels great about Tennessee

Expectations are high in Knoxville for the Tennessee Volunteers, led by quarterback Joe Milton. This will be Milton’s first full season as the Volunteers’ starter, but he has enough raw talent to excite analysts like Paul Finebaum ahead of the season.

During an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, Finebaum explained that he actually feels great about Tennessee.

“I saw a confidence and a swagger from Josh Heupel that makes me a very strong believer in that program,” Finebaum said of SEC Media Days.

Despite the hype surrounding Joe Milton, Greg McElroy isn’t sure where it’s coming from other than his natural arm talent.

“Greg, the biggest joke every July is the phrase, ‘Heisman candidate’ because I’m sure one of your great researchers could find 30 or 40 people mentioned in the Heisman. It’s just a line. It doesn’t mean anything,” Finebaum said.

“And I got the chance to talk to him and I really like him. I think he’s handled a lot of difficult things well, but can he cut it on the field under the gun? Well, he did it against Clemson as you well know and he’s going to have to do it regularly.”

Joe Milton is known for having an absolute cannon, throwing the ball 90 yards. In head coach Josh Heupel’s high-speed offense, it’s easy to get excited about the possibilities there, so long as Milton can be more accurate with the football.

Last season, Joe Milton took over at quarterback for Tennessee when Hendon Hooker was injured. He helped to dominate Vanderbilt to close out the season before beating Clemson in the Orange Bowl. He had 971 passing yards on 82 attempts with 10 touchdowns.

“I feel pretty good about him, but you’re right, you can’t have 14 great quarterbacks in the SEC,” Finebaum said. “One thing fans understand by now, everybody we talk about is great at SEC Media Days, until they’re not.”

Joe Milton on what he learned about playing quarterback in the SEC

After transferring to Tennessee from Michigan, Joe Milton had to learn how to play quarterback in the SEC. That was a difficult task but one he’s been up to.

“You just have to prepare the right way. You’re gonna have great dudes every game, right? So being able to study that film and understand what guys are gonna do before they do it is the best part,” Milton said.

“I feel like the more anybody could talk to you about what the SEC football is like, you have to experience it on your own to actually understand it. Obviously, on the Big 10 level, on my team at Michigan, I had Aidan Hutchinson,” Milton said, referring to the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. “He was in my class, and just going against him every day he got fast as the years went by. Now, it’s just guys that are his size all the time.”