Joe Milton re-signs NIL deal with The Volunteer Club

Joe Milton transferred to Tennessee in 2021 to compete for the starting job.

And the former Michigan quarterback won it outright, starting against Bowling Green in the season opener. But in Week 2 against Pittsburgh he struggled, eventually being replaced by Hendon Hooker.

Hooker then put together the best two season stretch from a Tennessee quarterback in recent memory. He was the Heisman favorite before he tore his ACL against South Carolina. But when Hooker went down, Milton resurfaced as the Vols starter.

He went undefeated in two starts. He was named the Orange Bowl MVP, too, after throwing three touchdowns to three different receivers. Milton has now re-signed his NIL deal with The Volunteer Club, basically announcing he will be back in Knoxville for his final year of college eligibility.

Run by Spyre Sports Group, the NIL collective supports Tennessee student-athletes through a monthly membership program. To date, it’s distributed more than $4.5 million to athletes. As part of Milton’s deal with the Vol Club, he will make appearances at a number of events.

“That was announcing we had re-signed Joe,” Spyre’s Hunter Baddour told On3 on Thursday. “He’ll make a number of appearances and social media posts for us. It’s a little symbolic. We’re taking care of Joe.”

In the world of NIL, the top duty of collectives is roster retention. And while Milton does not have the starting job wrapped up for the 2023 season, he’ll be in a strong position at the start of spring. He’ll obviously have to compete with the most highly-touted quarterback recruit since Peyton Manning in Nico Iamaleava. Tayven Jackson is expected to be in the mix, too.

Milton has the trust of the Tennessee locker room and coaching staff after two seasons. His best friend on the team is Hendon Hooker. And many inside the Vols program believe he can be one of college football’s top quarterbacks next season.

Thursday’s announcement was a sign of what could be to come.

Joe Milton’s On3 NIL Valuation

The Tennessee quarterback currently holds a $149,000 On3 NIL Valuation. Joe Milton previously signed with Engage for NIL representation. Last month, he promoted the Emerald Youth Foundation on his Instagram account.

Milton has more than 72,000 followers between his Twitter and Instagram account, too. His valuation ranks in the top 325 of college football. If he does earn the starting nod for the 2023 season, that will only continue to increase.

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.