Peyton Manning offers evaluation of Joe Milton, notes areas of improvement
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
After a resurgence last season, Tennessee enters the 2023 campaign with national championship aspirations. If the Vols intend to capture the program’s first national title since 1998, senior quarterback Joe Milton will need to be a major catalyst.
Peyton Manning, who was a legendary QB in his time in Knoxville, took some time on The Nation to offer an evaluation of Milton, as well as areas of improvement he’d like to see.
The two-time Super Bowl champion emphasized a couple of specific traits that sets Milton apart from the pack.
“I was impressed with his accuracy. Obviously, the [Manning Academy] camp they’re coaching high school kids but between practices Eli and I go out and watch the college quarterbacks throw,” Manning said. “Certainly amongst a very impressive group of college quarterbacks, Joe’s arm certainly stands out. I was impressed with his accuracy, his footwork. I can tell he’s worked on those things.”
[tallysight url=”https://tallysight.com/new/widget/tile/cfb/org:saturday-down-south/event:2023-24-futures/topic:sec-east-division-winner-2023/variant:1/sportsbook:draftkings/showpromos/sportsbooks:draftkings/promo:4/sport:cfb?id=cd59b59f-3d12-4f78-a417-898f950f668f”]Milton completed 64% of his passes last season and guided Tennessee to victory against Clemson in the Orange Bowl in replacement of the injured Hendon Hooker. Milton passed for 971 yards, 10 touchdowns, and no interceptions last season.
Manning believes that the strides Milton has made in the offseason will translate to him becoming an even more well-rounded passer.
“I think he wants to be more than a guy that can just throw it so far down the field, which is great. But we’ve got to be able to complete those intermediate throws, those touch passes over the middle,” Manning said. “I think Joe has really worked on that. I think that’s going to show up this year for sure. I’m excited about him. He’s got a great attitude.”
Milton and Tennessee kick off the season with a matchup against Virginia on Sept. 2 in Nashville.
