Former Michigan football quarterback recieving all kinds of major national praise

The Joe Milton era of football at Michigan is one that most Wolverines fans would prefer to erase from memory. During his lone season in Ann Arbor, Milton led the team to a disappointing 2-4 record, suffering notable defeats against Indiana, Michigan State, and a resounding loss to Wisconsin. Following the challenging COVID-19 year, Milton made the decision to enter the transfer portal and eventually found a new opportunity in the SEC at Tennessee. In his time with the Volunteers, he served as their backup quarterback in 2021 and 2022. Now, three seasons after his initial stint as a starter, it appears that the former Michigan football quarterback will have a second chance at leading a team this coming fall.

Not only has Joe Milton been named Tennessee’s starting quarterback for the upcoming season, but he is also being touted as a potential Heisman candidate and a prospective day one or two NFL Draft pick. It’s possible that those making these predictions have not thoroughly assessed Milton’s performance during his time in Ann Arbor or that they are solely considering his physical attributes during the offseason. Nevertheless, this former Maize and Blue starter is currently generating significant national attention and hype.

Former Michigan football quarterback named a darkhorse for Heisman Trophy

When talking about the 2023-24 Heisman Trophy winner, one name that continues to float around as a dark horse candidate is former Michigan football quarterback Joe Milton, who has been listed as a potential candidate by numerous outlets. It may seem ridiculous to those who watched him suit up for the Wolverines a few seasons ago, but it is true.

Following the past three college football seasons, Joe Milton was not regarded as a serious contender for the Heisman Trophy. Many still hold this view, but Milton has unexpectedly emerged as a top 10 candidate in the betting odds to win the award this upcoming fall. Numerous credible outlets have also recognized him as a dark horse for the Heisman.

Yahoo Sports reports that Milton, Tennessee’s starting QB, holds the seventh-best odds (20/1) to win the Heisman. He gained recognition after leading the Volunteers to a victory over Clemson in the Orange Bowl in 2022. It is worth noting that Milton was not the starter who led Tennessee to the bowl game; that honor belonged to Hendon Hooker, a Heisman contender in 2022. Nevertheless, Milton stepped in when his team needed him and secured a New Year’s Six bowl win for UT.

In 2023, Milton will commence the year as Tennessee’s starting quarterback, carrying high expectations, similar to his situation in 2020 when he played for Michigan football. Only time will reveal whether Milton can seize this second opportunity and capitalize on it.

A potential 1st round pick?

On top of premature Heisman talks, Joe Milton is a name that keeps floating around in the NFL Draft situation. Now, to be fair, I cannot really blame anyone on this front — Milton has the arm talent and strength of an NFL quarterback, but needs to learn how to use it. Additionally, Milton is fast, big, and powerful, making him a dangerous threat as a runner as well; this has prompted comparisons to Cam Newton, who led Auburn to a national title in the early 2010s.

Many outlets remain a bit skeptical as far as 1st round projections go, especially since other top QBs like Caleb Williams and others are headlining this year’s class, but one good game from Milton and rest assured the hype train will leave the station. If Milton can be a different guy than he was at QB in Ann Arbor, good for him, though I remain skeptical about all of this preseason hype… I have seen it all before, and it didn’t pan out well.

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