Tennessee QB Joe Milton III Named To Davey O'Brien Watch List

The Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joe Milton III earned preseason recognition for the annual award to the nation’s best quarterback.

Only one Tennessee player has ever taken home the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award - Peyton Manning. VFL Hendon Hooker gave it his best shot the past two seasons but couldn't cross the finish line. 

This year, Joe Milton III has huge shoes to fill, but a subset of the selection committee for the award thinks that he may be able to do so and then some. Milton was one of 35 returning quarterbacks named to the Davey O’Brien Watch List on Tuesday. Milton is joined by just four other SEC quarterbacks: Jayden Daniels of LSU, KJ Jefferson of Arkansas, Devin Leary of Kentucky, and Will Rogers of Mississippi State. Last year, Max Duggan won the award, hailing from the school of the award’s namesake, TCU.

It is easy to say that the success of Tennessee’s 2023 season will largely depend on how Joe Milton III performs as the team’s starting quarterback. Even with Nico Iamaleava waiting in the wings, this is Milton’s team, and it’s a talented one. Some have picked this team as a top-10 team, and often being a top-10 team means elite quarterback play. 

Tennessee had a top-10 team and elite quarterback play last season, but many team members, including quarterback Hendon Hooker, have since departed. Still, this team can accomplish a lot, as can the quarterback Joe Milton III. If the national media has confidence in him, that should give Vol fans more confidence, too, as we count down the days until Milton and the Vols take the field in Nashville. 

Tennessee QB Joe Milton III dropping back to pass during the spring game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 15, 2023. (Photo by Caitie McMekin of the News Sentinel)

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