It happens almost every year. A team gets a shiny new toy at quarterback, and fans want to see them hit the field right away, especially one as highly touted as Nico Iamaleava. To a much-appreciated surprise, that wasn’t the case when Hendon Hooker walked out of Neyland Stadium for the last time. Instead, fans quickly turned their support to Joe Milton III.
The main reason for this could be easily credited to Milton’s performance against Clemson in the Orange Bowl. As a reminder, he scored three touchdowns and threw for 251 yards on 19 completions en route to a 31-14 victory.
But it goes much deeper than that. It points to the experience and leadership that Milton showcased while being QB2. Never mind the fact that he was a highly recruited prospect on his way to Michigan, but Milton did the one thing every other QB in the nation would’ve done after being benched – he stayed. That’s one of the quickest ways to get the fans on your side.
Throughout his time as QB2, Milton has been able to improve his accuracy while still possessing the bazooka that has earned him the nickname “Bazooka Joe.”
“He made a lot of really good decisions, he protected the football, he threw it aggressively when it was time to throw it aggressively,” Tennessee Offensive Coordinator Joey Halzle said in an interview with Football Time in Tennessee. “He’s doing that at a high level now, too.”
But while Milton has a limited number of snaps for the Vols, the fans still didn’t rush to Iamaleava’s side during the offseason, which also goes against the norm. Tennessee fans acknowledged the true freshman still has much to learn before taking over as the Vols’ main signal caller.
While he showed a quick release and speed during the Orange and White game, Iamaleava needs to gain a deeper understanding of the system and playbook to operate Josh Heupel’s system.
So, while fans will be excited to see Iamaleava next year, this season belongs to Milton.
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