Tennessee’s coaches would love to have all the answers following he first week of preseason camp.
They’d like to know exactly who the Vols’ starting five will be on the offensive line, what the defensive secondary will look like and what freshmen take the reins and become ready to play big-time college football in less than a month.
With the rest of the depth chart expressed ad nauseum, there’s one position that is of incredible importance that seems to be overlooked. Who is Hendon Hooker’s backup?
Everything would lead one to believe that Joe Milton III is entrenched as Tennessee’s second-string quarterback. Milton started the season as Tennessee’s first-team quarterback last season before Hooker was able to wrestle the job away and keep it. Milton has the physical ability of The Terminator and he’s part of a great story since he decided to remain at Tennessee even though he’s behind Hooker on the depth chart. However, great stories don’t always result in great quarterbacks and it’s fair to wonder what kind of transfer options were out there for Milton.
The Vols had better prepare themselves for another Milton moment if they’re dead set on him being the first player in the game if Hooker goes down. Milton’s memorable moment last season was when he thought it would be best to jump out of bounds instead of trying to get the ball into the endzone after time had expired. The problem was that Tennessee was trailing Ole Miss and the clock, that Milton seemed intent on stopping, had expired. This wasn’t just a small mistake. It was a monstrous blunder.
It’s usually unfair to make a determination on a player from just one play. However, the lack of awareness that Milton showed on that play was the kind of reaction in the heat of the moment that makes you wonder if Milton can handle the bright lights of big-time college football.
Tennessee’s players and coaches will tell you that Milton is over his moment of disaster. They want to support a key player, a friend and a person that may be needed to help the Vols win some football games if something does happen to Hooker. No one on Tennessee’s football team is going to say they have their own personal doubts about Milton after what they saw against the Rebels. Some probably do.
Milton likes to say he lost the starting job due to injury and that’s partly true. Milton’s health status opened the door for Hooker, but after that, the door was slammed close: Hendon was Tennessee’s starter as long as he was healthy. Milton’s lack of accuracy was almost as disconcerting as his health.
Milton is the type of player that Tennessee could sell tickets to practice just based on his ability to throw the ball a really long way, reportedly over 100 yards. Milton is also built like a tank with mobility like a gazelle. So that we all get it: Milton’s return to Tennessee is a fantastic story, he’s a great athlete and he’s ready to assume his role as Hooker’s backup or maybe unseat him in practice. The latter isn’t going to happen.
All of the good that comes with Milton doesn’t outweigh the fact that he just might not be a very good quarterback in game situations. Milton lost his starting position at Michigan before he transferred to Tennessee and they have a great quarterback coach in place with Jim Harbaugh as the head man. Speaking of transferring, what options did Milton have during the offseason? Were schools calling or were they too still stuck on that infamous Ole Miss play.
It may sound odd, but the Vols could be better off if Tayven Jackson is Tennessee’s backup quarterback. He’s just a freshman, but he’s been enrolled at Tennessee since January. He knows the offense and he has the ability to thrive in Josh Heupel’s offense. In fact, who doesn’t?
That’s the other aspect of the whole situation that makes Milton expendable if he has another Ole Miss moment is that Heupel has had success throughout his career with multiple quarterbacks. Certainly, some one has to make the throws, but this is a very quarterback-friendly offense. There are probably 100 quarterbacks that could look good in Heupel’s offense. Jackson is probably one of them.
Jackson’s performance in practice will determine if he’s ready to play in games this fall. He’ll have to prove himself in the coming weeks against his own teammates before his coaches will put the former four-star prospect in a game anytime soon. There’s also no way of knowing how Jackson will perform.
That can be scary. The unknown always is. However, Milton’s monumental blunder against Ole Miss is downright terrifying and it’s a known commodity.
Milton won the starting quarterback position last year before the 2021 season, so he’s apparently a pretty good practice player. Games, however, can be totally different and, so far, unmanageable for Milton no matter how talented he is.
That’s why Tennessee had best have Jackson ready sooner rather than later. Tennessee coaches has said they worked on Milton’s accuracy all offseason. We’ll see if that’s any better. However, testing Milton’s game-time management could cost Tennessee a win if he’s forced into action.
6 Responses
The Old Miss mistake was a simple brain burp that anybody can have. Milton is not likely to repeat that, even if the situation arises again … which it likely will not. I think you are being entirely too critical to a player who has had little opportunity to show what he can do. Let him play and leave him alone.
I hope nothing but the best for the young man, but there is cause for concern.
I agree with you. I also think it hurt Milton that he was put into the game so late and had zero opportunity to get into a rhythm and to gain some situational awareness. I still hope that we see Hendon all year in the situations that count but if Milton goes in I’ll be rooting hard that he maximizes the opportunity.
Seems like a good guy who has matured a lot.
Nice column and I totally agree. I support all the guys of course, but there were other times in season where it looked like Milton could get yards with his legs and he just went down. At his size he could truck linebackers and DBs.
Thank you sir. Agreed.