Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton launches McDonald's meal

Joe Milton is loving it.

The Tennessee quarterback impressed Vols fans with his performance late in the 2022 season. He earned Orange Bowl MVP honors, too. And last week in the season opener, he showed his highly anticipated arm strength in a blowout win over Virginia.

Now, his fans can begin purchasing the “Milton Meal” at select McDonald’s locations. Thanks to a partnership facilitated by Spyre Sports Group, the Volunteers quarterback has inked an NIL deal with Funderburk Family McDonald’s.

Through the agreement, six locations in Tennessee will begin selling the “Milton Meal,” which consists of a Big Mac, medium Fry, large Sweet Tea and Sweet-n-Sour Sauce. It’s one of the most notable deals of the 2023 season, pairing together a marketable name like Milton with a Volunteer State business.

Fans can purchase the meal at these locations:

• 300 Bigmac Dr, Algood TN
• 110 Fast Lane, Baxter TN 
• 1001 S Jefferson St, Cookeville TN 
• 515 S Willow Ave, Cookeville TN 
• 1195 N. Main St, Crossville, TN 
• 558 Peavine Rd, Crossville TN

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The former Michigan transfer re-signed his NIL deal with The Volunteer Club back in January, basically announcing he would be back in Knoxville for his final year of college eligibility. Spyre Sports, run by Hunter Baddour and James Clawson, manage The Vol Club. The NIL collective supports Tennessee student-athletes through a monthly membership program. To date, it’s distributed more than $13.5 million in NIL deals to athletes. As part of Milton’s deal with the Vol Club, he’s made appearances at a number of events.

Joe Milton’s strong NIL brand

The fifth-year player made the most of his first 2023 outing as QB1 for the Volunteers, finishing 21 of 30 for 201 yards and totaling four touchdowns. For his effort in the 49-13 win over Virginia, Milton was named the SEC’s Co-Offensive Player of the Week. He also had a viral moment in the game when he stiff-armed Virginia defender Jonas Sanker and planted his face into the turf.

He’s quickly become one of the most closely followed quarterbacks in the country this fall, and his NIL deals prove it.

Along with this new partnership with Hometown Realty, Milton recently entered into an NIL deal with Beats by Dre. As part of the agreement, he gifted his entire team Beats Studio Pro wireless headphones, which sell at retail for $349.99. He also participated in an event in March at Dick’s House of Sport in Knoxville with Shedeur Sanders, hosted by the BRADY brand.

The success on the field and with NIL, combined with the strong Tennessee brand and a big social media following, helped Milton achieve an On3 NIL Valuation of $637,000. The valuation ranks in the top 50 of the college football NIL rankings. It also sits at No. 63 in the On3 NIL 100, which is the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.

About the On3 NIL Valuation

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.

About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value

While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career.

The On3 NIL Valuation accounts for an athlete’s roster value and brand value. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. Brand value factors in an athlete’s personal brand and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.