Joe Milton shares message to Tennessee freshmen

Joe Milton has had an interesting career since transferring from Michigan to Tennessee. After originally being named the starting quarterback in 2021, Hendon Hooker eventually took over. With head coach Josh Heupel the following season, Hooker broke out and is now on his way to the NFL. In the meantime, Milton was serving as the backup.

Flash forward to the Orange Bowl and Milton was the star of the show in a win against Clemson. Now, he is primed to be the Tennessee starter heading into the 2023 season. Milton will be hoping for a similar breakout performance as Hooker and potentially getting his shot at the next level.

All of this to say — Milton has seen a thing or two in college football. If freshmen in the Tennessee program are going to look at someone for advice, Milton will be the guy. He decided to offer up some advice recently, encouraging guys to make mistakes and learn from them.

“Go make mistakes,” Milton said. “It’s football. At the end of the day, it’s football. Nico (Iamaleava) comes to me every night. Right after meetings, he asked me questions about the script. I’m willing to help any way I can. That’s just me, personally. But for any freshman in the country, it don’t just have to be Tennessee, man.

“Go make a mistake. You never know what’s going to happen. Keep being you. It’s not like high school, things sped up. But at the same time, it’s football. Go learn what you need to learn and do what you need to do.”

While Milton was speaking to most freshmen, the message most likely was really meant for Iamaleava. The former five-star prospect has a ton of hype surrounding him in Knoxville, expected to be the next great thing for the program. While Milton is considered the starter next year, Iamaleava is a star waiting to break out when his number is called.

Joe Milton looking to end Tennessee career on positive note

Milton began his Tennessee career as the starter but was eventually phased out. In total, he has thrown for 1,346 yards on 144 attempts, adding 12 touchdowns and no interceptions. In a vacuum, not a bad tenure on Rocky Top.

Against Clemson around the New Year, Milton threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns while completing 67.9% of his throws. Huepel and everyone involved with the program will be hoping that small sample size translates over a 12-game season.