Josh Heupel names Tennessee's starting QB for 2021 season

The Tennessee Volunteers are starting their season on Thursday, Sept. 2, with a game against Bowling Green. It’s the first game of the SEC season.

But, until Monday, the team didn’t have a starting quarterback. There was a 3-way battle between Michigan transfer Joe Milton III, Virginia Tech transfer Hendon Hooker and returning Vol Harrison Bailey.

On Monday, during a press conference, first-year head coach Josh Heupel announced that Milton had won the job.

https://twitter.com/Madison4Blevins/status/1432373139376312321

Heupel shared what set Milton apart from the others in the competition, citing his grasp of the offense:

Heupel on why Milton was named the starter: "His grasp of our offense in a short amount of time, his acceleration of what we're doing, his physical attributes, his decision making…"

— Brandon Zimmerman (@BZSEC) August 30, 2021

Heupel added that he thinks Hooker and Bailey could also help the Vols win. We’ll see who wins the backup job and how much playing time they get behind Milton this fall.