Tennessee football’s Five most encouraging signs from 2022 spring practice

Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel during Tennessee football spring practice at Haslam Field in Knoxville, Tenn. on Tuesday, April 5, 2022.Kns Ut Spring Fball 10
Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel during Tennessee football spring practice at Haslam Field in Knoxville, Tenn. on Tuesday, April 5, 2022.Kns Ut Spring Fball 10 /
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Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III (7) during Tennessee football spring practice at Haslam Field in Knoxville, Tenn. on Tuesday, April 5, 2022.Kns Ut Spring Fball 10
Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III (7) during Tennessee football spring practice at Haslam Field in Knoxville, Tenn. on Tuesday, April 5, 2022.Kns Ut Spring Fball 10 /

1. Quarterbacks behind Hendon Hooker appear accurate.

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Although Tennessee football’s defense appeared superior throughout the spring, there was clear improvement at different spots on offense. One area, which was key, is accuracy among the quarterbacks. We know about Hendon Hooker’s accuracy. What about behind him?

After all, Hooker’s mobility opens up the door for him to get hurt. As a result, the competition among returning quarterback Joe Milton III, true freshman Tayven Jackson and transfer Navy Shuler were all key. Accuracy was going to be key to see who could take the keys to the offense if Hooker got hurt.

Jackson and Milton were the positives here. In the scrimmage, Jackson was 11-of-13, a great sign. Milton was 4-of-8, but he had a beautiful deep ball for a touchdown. Given the way he struggled last year, that’s a huge deal, and it actually suggests he may be able to stay in competition past 2022 after Hooker leaves.

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Depth at quarterback is a big deal for Tennessee football given Josh Heupel’s system. That part isn’t clear yet, but one aspect of their play was a positive sign from the spring ball. Given how big of a deal accuracy is, the signs surrounding the signal callers are very positive going forward.