Tennessee football adds Michigan transfer Joe Milton, creating good problem at QB

Questions continue to surround Tennessee football as they press forward during spring practice under new head coach Josh Heupel. However, the quarterback situation is one area of uncertainty that should bring a lot of encouragement.

Heupel has apparently added to that encouragement. Michigan Wolverines transfer quarterback Joe Milton is reportedly heading to Rocky Top. Austin Price of VolQuest initially reported the news on Twitter.

According to multiple reports, Milton is being admitted to UT for the summer of 2021, so he is not participating in spring ball. Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports tweeted out that he is expected to formally commit to Tennessee football later this month.

With the addition of Milton, the Vols add another elite prospect into the room at signal-caller. Virginia Tech Hokies transfer Hendon Hooker, rising sophomore Harrison Bailey, rising junior Brian Maurer and true freshman Kaidon Salter are the four scholarship quarterbacks who have been competing this spring.

Like Hooker and Salter, Milton had a four-star rating across the board coming out of high school in Florida. He was listed as a dual-threat quarterback on Rivals and ESPN but a pro-style quarterback on 247Sports back in 2018.

Looking at his stats at Michigan, he appears to be more of a pro-style quarterback who can run if necessary. The 6’5″ 243-pound graduate of Olympia High School in Orlando, Fla. first saw significant action in 2020, appearing in six games and completing 80-of-141 passes for 1,077 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. He had 38 carries for 109 yards and a touchdown.

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Milton lost his starting job towards the end of the season last year. However, he did have back to back 300-yard games against the Michigan State Spartans and Indiana Hoosiers, so he has shown promise. Dating back to 2018, he has appeared in a total of 14 games for Michigan. He was the starter for part

Heupel is likely to have an even more interesting fall camp now with Milton on the roster. Bailey, Hooker and Maurer probably have the biggest advantages of all the scholarship quarterbacks since they are the only ones who fully participated in the spring. However, Heupel has had his eye on Milton since 2017, when he recruited him while offensive coordinator of the Missouri Tigers.

Don’t overlook Heupel’s personal interest in Milton and the role that could play in Tennessee football’s quarterback race in August. Given the fact that Milton is the only quarterback on the roster Heupel specifically lured to UT and given the fact that he recruited the guy heavily out of high school, he may have particular interest in Milton. That could work to his favor.

Either way, though, the Vols now are in a great situation. They have five quarterbacks capable of starting, four of whom had at least a four-star rating or above coming out of high school. One is a pure pocket passer, three are dual-threat quarterbacks, and Milton could be either one, depending on what the coaches need from him.

Simply put, Tennessee football is in great shape at the most important position on the field now. Heupel has enough options to find the right guy who could give his outmanned team a chance to over-perform in some games this year.