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Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III to attend Manning Passing Academy

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•06/10/23•

GrantRamey

Joe Milton III
Tennessee redshirt senior QB Joe Milton III throws during spring practice (Tennessee Athletics)

Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III is one of ten notable QBs that will be attending the Manning Passing Academy, which returns to Nicholls State University June 22-25. The Manning camp features college quarterbacks working as counselors for over 1,200 high school quarterbacks. 

Milton will be at the camp alongside Texas quarterbacks Arch Manning and Quinn Ewers, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, Kentucky’s Devin Leary, Florida State’s Jordan Travis, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Jaden Daniels and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr.

Tennessee quarterbacks have had a consistent presence at the Manning Passing Academy, with Hendon Hooker and Jarrett Guarantano attending in recent years.

Milton is expected to be Tennessee’s starting quarterback in the fall, taking over for Hooker after Hooker was drafted in the third round in April’s NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. 

“He’s had a great offseason,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said of Milton recently. “Everybody in our program and in the locker room believed he would play in a great way when he got his next opportunity.”

Milton passed for 971 yards and 10 touchdowns playing behind Hooker last season. He started in the regular-season finale at Vanderbilt and was the Orange Bowl MVP after leading Tennessee to a 31-14 win over Clemson, after Hooker suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the loss at South Carolina on November 19. 

“He has continued to have great urgency in his preparation and has continued to grow as a leader,” Heupel said. “He was a leader last year too. I’m really excited about what he’s done.”

Milton won Tennessee’s open quarterback battle in fall camp before the 2021 season, but an ankle injury in a Week 2 loss to Pittsburgh at Neyland Stadium opened the door for Hooker to take over.

Hooker passed for 6,080 yards, 58 touchdowns and five interceptions over the last two seasons. Last fall he was a Heisman Trophy frontrunner while leading Tennessee to an 8-0 start and a No. 1 ranking the first College Football Playoff Top 25 of the season.

Milton completed 19 of 28 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns to win the Orange Bowl MVP.

He completed 9 of 13 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown in the Orange & White Game at Neyland Stadium in April, splitting reps in the spring game with freshman Nico Imaleava and redshirt junior Gaston Moore. Iamaleava was 8-for-16 for 112 yards and a touchdown and More completed 8 of 11 passes for 94 yards, two touchdowns and an interception

“(Milton) had a great spring,” Heupel said. “He has continued to refine himself as a quarterback with his fundamentals. Really impressed with what he did as far as pocket movement in the spring. He was really accurate with the football. He has to have a great summer. I expect him to do that and go help us win some football games.” 

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