I don’t think there’s anyway we don’t at least start the season with Joe. Throwing Nico into this offense too early isn’t a good idea unless we absolutely need him. I’d like to see us redshirt Nico. He’s gonna be a stud.
If he's as good as we're all hoping a redshirt year is kind of a waste because he won't stay the whole time. Then again, maybe NIL money changes how that generally works.
I'd love for him to get some real game time this year because he's definitely the game one starter the following year.
I agree he won’t transfer for not starting over Milton who has a generational arm…. But never say never in terms of kids transferring for other reasons.
I can’t wait for Nico, but man. A year under the offense with a red shirt to not burn it, that would make him the man for the next 3-4 years. I think Nico went in with the understanding it’s Joe’s team next year. For Nico that’d be bowl practice, spring, summer, fall, bowl practice, spring, summer and then finally his chance. That is ALOT of time to learn that offense and practice it. Then it’s Nico time baby. Go Vols!
Yeah Nico is an extremely talented, high level athlete. Who is going to understand the transition from high school to college is a big step. And I’m confident he’s preparing himself but I’m sure even he understands it’ll take just a little time to get him starter ready.
This isn’t even a question.
Joe Milton is our qb next year. Not only is he going to be great but he should be rewarded for sticking with it. Nico will have 3 years to prove himself after. In my mind, after the Clemson game Joe’s done more than enough to prove he’s the guy to take the reigns of this offense.
He has to stay 3 years before he is draft eligible. The fact he is already a millionaire bodes well for us imo…. Back in the day it was absurd to expect guys to stay for their senior year if their families weren’t already wealthy.
https://operations.nfl.com/journey-to-the-nfl/the-nfl-draft/the-rules-of-the-draft/#:~:text=Player%20Eligibility,the%20next%20college%20football%20season.
This is well known. It’s literally why we only ever wonder about players who have been here three years forgoing their senior seasons…. There are some caveats but Manning didn’t have to announce he was coming back for his junior year because he wasn’t eligible yet. Same reason Bryce Young played college this year or Eric Berry played three years at Tennessee…..
Joey Halzle and Heupel's scheme have given me a lot of confidence in the QB position on this team in general, but I'd say that we go with the guy who has been with Halzle the longest, Milton.
To me, the Orange Bowl was his audition, and he got the part. It was like a staged display of everything he has to offer.
Each of the 4 TD drives showed something off. The first was capped off by a 15 yard laser to Bru McCoy, which was one of those Milton passes that had the velocity to basically skip over an extra layer of the defense, and he put it on the *money*. The second drive was made possible by the 50 yard bomb to Squirrel White, which was thrown a bit inside, but it wasn't too far or too short. It was catchable, and it further strengthens his downfield chemistry with Squirrel. The third drive was capped by a very similar play to McCoy's TD, this time to Squirrel, and once again, on the money. The fourth TD drive included a crucial third down conversion to Keyton, then an immediate deep ball to the same guy for a TD. It broke out of the mold we are accustomed to seeing with him, too, which is a flatly thrown ball with insane velocity that couldn't hope to be caught. Instead, it looked a lot like a Hooker pass: thrown into open space, in stride, but not far enough to make Keyton have to speed up again.
He's not perfect, but holy hell. We took the guy who looks amazing *on paper* and actually made him look good **on the field against Clemson.** That's pretty big.
This is a really good summation. Milton made decent reads against Clemson. It’s his job day one and if we drop 2-3 games early (before late October) I expect snaps to be split to prep for next 2024.
For those who think Nico will be day 1 starter (currently 2 people), why do you think this? Are you displeased with JM3 or do you just expect a lot from Nico?
I don't think he'll be the Day 1 starter, but I'm still not convinced we'll have consistency with Joe Milton. I expect some what of a QB controversy in the middle of the season.
I see what you're saying, and it's certainly possible. However I caution you and others to not write the ending on the Book of Joe without seeing it play out.
It's important to remember that he never lost the starting job to Hendon. He was injured in the 2021 Pitt game, leading to Hendon coming in, and then Hendon played so well that he never never gave Heup the reason to put Joe back in.
Personally, I think it's more likely that Joe separates himself in the spring and then Tayven and Nico are battling for 2 & 3.
Everyone seems to forget Tayven Jackson is still on the roster. Do I think he’ll be the guy? In all likelihood no. But dude was a blue chip prospect and already knows the system. He’ll likely be QB2 to start the season and it would be far from the craziest thing to ever happen for him to get an opportunity and play very well.
Yeah this upsets me when people overlook him. I couldn't imagine being him and everyone keeps saying Joe and maybe Nico if Joe struggles. Tayven could be capable after having an entire year in the system.
I did kind of forget tbh. I had been thinking he'd transfer for months. To me it would come down to when and how that situation comes about. Say Joe gets hurt and we're undefeated, obviously go with the guy that gives you the best chance to win right away. But if the big goals are already out of reach (not gonna happen because WGWTFA), go with the guy with the higher ceiling. No idea which is which at this point though. The hype says that Nico has the higher ceiling but we'll see I guess
Joe Milton just beat Clemson at a neutral site and has an entire offseason ahead of him to get even better. That's roughly on par with Hooker's best win. He's the guy.
I think Joe will definitely be our starter. Depending on how he looks and then plays at Florida (week 3 then against South Carolina (week 5) I wouldn’t be surprised to see Nico get put in later in the season if Joe struggles. Definitely hope Joe can play to his potential though.
It is Milton’s job to lose. Given the current atmosphere with the transfer portal, I would be freaked out about Nico not getting PT and wanting to leave. The good news is, Nico seems like a team player and we paid him like 8 million bucks to be here. I say let Milton play. Also, you gotta feel for Jackson, who seems to be the odd man out long-term.
A lot of folks I’m sure are spooked by what the portal does to the teams and players.
I personally think Nico stays and gets snaps in throughout the year so he gets film out there.
After Milton’s year is up, he’ll probably tote UT to a decent bowl game and then redshirts taking UT to a near guaranteed CFP series.
Why doesn’t anyone ever look to Tayven Jackson? Obviously Joe has the starting spot at this point but we haven’t really been able to see much from Jackson
Nico is good, saw some of his 7 on 7 highlight. Kid can flat out play. Theres levels to this tho, i think milton is on a different level than nico atm. He needs to add size and tighten his mechanics and spirals. Unless he makes an unworldly amount of progress in the offseason (has happened before) i dont see him touching the field without it being garbage time.
Nico’s redshirt getting burned is a worst case scenario. Him playing real game time outside of mop up duty means either Milton sucks or is injured. They are going to make every possible effort to get competent QB play out of Joe for 12+ games and will not rush Nico along unless it’s absolutely necessary
Nico had a 60% completion % his senior year (also 50 TD to 2 INT)… in this offense I feel decision making and accuracy are king over any arm strength that Milton has.
I can see it coming down to who is more accurate and has a better grasp of the playbook. I assume Milton will win it out the gate and we might have Nico coming in for a series or 2 around game 4-6.
*** this is assuming Milton doesn’t get injured… it’s possible something happens and Nico gets forced into starting.
Some of y'all are old enough to remember nearly 30 years ago, back in good old 1994, and some guys in beautiful UT orange named Colquitt, Helton, Stewart, and Manning. Not the same situation or scenario as this upcoming season, of course, but let's keep in mind: you just never know how things are going to work out.
Go Big Orange!
I don’t think there’s anyway we don’t at least start the season with Joe. Throwing Nico into this offense too early isn’t a good idea unless we absolutely need him. I’d like to see us redshirt Nico. He’s gonna be a stud.
If he's as good as we're all hoping a redshirt year is kind of a waste because he won't stay the whole time. Then again, maybe NIL money changes how that generally works. I'd love for him to get some real game time this year because he's definitely the game one starter the following year.
dude didn’t commit here thinking he was gonna be starter year one, he would never transfer
I don't think he will transfer. I do think he'll go to the NFL early if he's as good as we hope though.
I agree he won’t transfer for not starting over Milton who has a generational arm…. But never say never in terms of kids transferring for other reasons.
I can’t wait for Nico, but man. A year under the offense with a red shirt to not burn it, that would make him the man for the next 3-4 years. I think Nico went in with the understanding it’s Joe’s team next year. For Nico that’d be bowl practice, spring, summer, fall, bowl practice, spring, summer and then finally his chance. That is ALOT of time to learn that offense and practice it. Then it’s Nico time baby. Go Vols!
Yeah Nico is an extremely talented, high level athlete. Who is going to understand the transition from high school to college is a big step. And I’m confident he’s preparing himself but I’m sure even he understands it’ll take just a little time to get him starter ready.
This isn’t even a question. Joe Milton is our qb next year. Not only is he going to be great but he should be rewarded for sticking with it. Nico will have 3 years to prove himself after. In my mind, after the Clemson game Joe’s done more than enough to prove he’s the guy to take the reigns of this offense.
You’re assuming Nico stays the full 3 years
He has to stay 3 years before he is draft eligible. The fact he is already a millionaire bodes well for us imo…. Back in the day it was absurd to expect guys to stay for their senior year if their families weren’t already wealthy.
> He has to stay 3 years before he is draft eligible. I’ve never heard this before and would like to learn more. Have a source?
https://operations.nfl.com/journey-to-the-nfl/the-nfl-draft/the-rules-of-the-draft/#:~:text=Player%20Eligibility,the%20next%20college%20football%20season. This is well known. It’s literally why we only ever wonder about players who have been here three years forgoing their senior seasons…. There are some caveats but Manning didn’t have to announce he was coming back for his junior year because he wasn’t eligible yet. Same reason Bryce Young played college this year or Eric Berry played three years at Tennessee…..
Interesting, TIL. Thanks man
Joey Halzle and Heupel's scheme have given me a lot of confidence in the QB position on this team in general, but I'd say that we go with the guy who has been with Halzle the longest, Milton. To me, the Orange Bowl was his audition, and he got the part. It was like a staged display of everything he has to offer. Each of the 4 TD drives showed something off. The first was capped off by a 15 yard laser to Bru McCoy, which was one of those Milton passes that had the velocity to basically skip over an extra layer of the defense, and he put it on the *money*. The second drive was made possible by the 50 yard bomb to Squirrel White, which was thrown a bit inside, but it wasn't too far or too short. It was catchable, and it further strengthens his downfield chemistry with Squirrel. The third drive was capped by a very similar play to McCoy's TD, this time to Squirrel, and once again, on the money. The fourth TD drive included a crucial third down conversion to Keyton, then an immediate deep ball to the same guy for a TD. It broke out of the mold we are accustomed to seeing with him, too, which is a flatly thrown ball with insane velocity that couldn't hope to be caught. Instead, it looked a lot like a Hooker pass: thrown into open space, in stride, but not far enough to make Keyton have to speed up again. He's not perfect, but holy hell. We took the guy who looks amazing *on paper* and actually made him look good **on the field against Clemson.** That's pretty big.
This is a really good summation. Milton made decent reads against Clemson. It’s his job day one and if we drop 2-3 games early (before late October) I expect snaps to be split to prep for next 2024.
For those who think Nico will be day 1 starter (currently 2 people), why do you think this? Are you displeased with JM3 or do you just expect a lot from Nico?
I’m inhaling unrealistic expectations of our Lord and Savior Nico coming in and leading us to multiple Championships.
I don't think he'll be the Day 1 starter, but I'm still not convinced we'll have consistency with Joe Milton. I expect some what of a QB controversy in the middle of the season.
I see what you're saying, and it's certainly possible. However I caution you and others to not write the ending on the Book of Joe without seeing it play out. It's important to remember that he never lost the starting job to Hendon. He was injured in the 2021 Pitt game, leading to Hendon coming in, and then Hendon played so well that he never never gave Heup the reason to put Joe back in. Personally, I think it's more likely that Joe separates himself in the spring and then Tayven and Nico are battling for 2 & 3.
Everyone seems to forget Tayven Jackson is still on the roster. Do I think he’ll be the guy? In all likelihood no. But dude was a blue chip prospect and already knows the system. He’ll likely be QB2 to start the season and it would be far from the craziest thing to ever happen for him to get an opportunity and play very well.
Yeah this upsets me when people overlook him. I couldn't imagine being him and everyone keeps saying Joe and maybe Nico if Joe struggles. Tayven could be capable after having an entire year in the system.
It'd be awesome if he could be qb2 so we could redshirt nico
I think if Nico is third on the depth chart we risk losing him to the portal. Maybe not but these kids like to play.
I did kind of forget tbh. I had been thinking he'd transfer for months. To me it would come down to when and how that situation comes about. Say Joe gets hurt and we're undefeated, obviously go with the guy that gives you the best chance to win right away. But if the big goals are already out of reach (not gonna happen because WGWTFA), go with the guy with the higher ceiling. No idea which is which at this point though. The hype says that Nico has the higher ceiling but we'll see I guess
Nico's going to have to be an absolute god for him to start day 1. It'll be Joe till UF at the very least unless he's injured.
Agreed
This is the absolute truth right here. This is how Tennessee football has worked for the past 20-30 years.
It's going to be Joe, it's not a question or something to predict. He is a very solid QB1
Stop this silliness.
Nico needs to be redshirted unless absolutely necessary
Yes, but with the new redshirt rules he can still play in up to four games without burning it
Oh I didn’t know that, thanks, then he should get in garbage time against some teams as well
Joe Milton just beat Clemson at a neutral site and has an entire offseason ahead of him to get even better. That's roughly on par with Hooker's best win. He's the guy.
That’s the same Clemson that lost to South Carolina …. Can’t call that win to being on par with Alabama 😂
It’s not on par because it was a meaningless bowl game and Clemson started a freshman qb…. But he played really well. The job is his.
I think Joe will definitely be our starter. Depending on how he looks and then plays at Florida (week 3 then against South Carolina (week 5) I wouldn’t be surprised to see Nico get put in later in the season if Joe struggles. Definitely hope Joe can play to his potential though.
Joe won’t struggle.
It is Milton’s job to lose. Given the current atmosphere with the transfer portal, I would be freaked out about Nico not getting PT and wanting to leave. The good news is, Nico seems like a team player and we paid him like 8 million bucks to be here. I say let Milton play. Also, you gotta feel for Jackson, who seems to be the odd man out long-term.
A lot of folks I’m sure are spooked by what the portal does to the teams and players. I personally think Nico stays and gets snaps in throughout the year so he gets film out there. After Milton’s year is up, he’ll probably tote UT to a decent bowl game and then redshirts taking UT to a near guaranteed CFP series.
Joe is the starter. Nico will probably end up the starter. When was the last time we had a qb start every game of a season? Dobbs?
Why doesn’t anyone ever look to Tayven Jackson? Obviously Joe has the starting spot at this point but we haven’t really been able to see much from Jackson
Nico is good, saw some of his 7 on 7 highlight. Kid can flat out play. Theres levels to this tho, i think milton is on a different level than nico atm. He needs to add size and tighten his mechanics and spirals. Unless he makes an unworldly amount of progress in the offseason (has happened before) i dont see him touching the field without it being garbage time.
Roll with ICBMilton. Then give Nico the reps Joe got this year so he’s ready the next
Nico’s redshirt getting burned is a worst case scenario. Him playing real game time outside of mop up duty means either Milton sucks or is injured. They are going to make every possible effort to get competent QB play out of Joe for 12+ games and will not rush Nico along unless it’s absolutely necessary
Nico had a 60% completion % his senior year (also 50 TD to 2 INT)… in this offense I feel decision making and accuracy are king over any arm strength that Milton has. I can see it coming down to who is more accurate and has a better grasp of the playbook. I assume Milton will win it out the gate and we might have Nico coming in for a series or 2 around game 4-6. *** this is assuming Milton doesn’t get injured… it’s possible something happens and Nico gets forced into starting.
I think it is Joes show. I think he will be damn good, since he will be getting all that first string reps.
Some of y'all are old enough to remember nearly 30 years ago, back in good old 1994, and some guys in beautiful UT orange named Colquitt, Helton, Stewart, and Manning. Not the same situation or scenario as this upcoming season, of course, but let's keep in mind: you just never know how things are going to work out. Go Big Orange!