2-Minute Drill: Tennessee at SEC Media Days
NASHVILLE — Tennessee took to the podium on Thursday to wrap up the 2023 Southeastern Conference Media Days session. Head coach Josh Heupel was joined by Joe Milton, Jacob Warren and Omari Thomas as representatives for the 2023 Volunteers.
Brent Hubbs and Austin Price recap the day on the 2-Minute Drill as the four made several appearances up-and-down radio row, as well as in front of the podium in both the main and electronic media rooms. One thing Heupel made sure to mention during his stop in the mid-state today was his gratitude for how the Tennessee administration handled the last 2.5 years (30 months) during the NCAA Investigation process.
“But to go back to that time, you know, we were a program that entered that fall with only 65 scholarships, the uncertainty of an investigation that was taking place on our campus. I said in a room just like this two years ago that it would be a speed bump for the program, our football program,” the coach explained. “And a few days ago, we found out that that certainly was the case. We have navigated it in such a positive way because of the leadership that we have. Phenomenal leadership on our campus from President Boyd to Chancellor Plowman to our athletic director. We have been transparent and real and been able to close that narrative on our program and move forward.”
Representatives for the Vols
With the SEC Media Days being held in Tennessee for the first time, the home-state program sent quarterback Joe Milton, tight end Jacob Warren and defensive lineman Omari Thomas along with head coach Josh Heupel to represent the 2023 Volunteers. Tennessee is the last team to be featured on the week as the lead-up-to-kickoff conference concludes Thursday afternoon.
Heupel is set to speak and answer questions at the podium beginning at 1 pm ET. The head coach will then make his rounds to the Electronic Media Room for more questions before appearing on the SEC Network set live at 2:15 pm ET.
Milton, Thomas and Warren will all answer questions in a breakout setting in the main room at 1:50 pm ET. The quarterback will also make an appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show at 3 pm ET while plenty of other Vols coverage will be featured on College Football Live on ESPN2 as well.
The tight end – Warren – is set to begin his sixth season at Tennessee and his third as the program’s starting tight end. He’s registered 416 yards with four touchdowns in his career, coming out of nearby Farragut High School. Thomas is entering his fourth year on the defensive line at Tennessee, having already played in 36 games with 19 starts. He’s currently serving as a Tennessee representative on the SEC Football Leadership Council.
Like Warren, Milton is entering his sixth season in college as well – but his third at Tennessee. Coming off Orange Bowl MVP honors, the backup quarterback in 2022 passed for 10 touchdowns and no interceptions, making two starts for an injured Hendon Hooker. In two seasons for the Vols, Milton has thrown for 12 touchdowns and 1,346 yards with no interceptions.
Follow along with Volquest on Thursday for complete coverage of Tennessee at SEC Media Days.
