Joe Milton's Biggest Area To Improve This Offseason

Quarterback Joe Milton III enters 2023 with different expectations. He's the presumed starter, but the Tennessee signal caller must clean up his game with competition lurking.

Competition breeds results. Complacency can often be the worst thing, especially for college athletes. Having a constant presence over your shoulder should elevate your game, which Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III needs.

Milton transferred to Tennessee after an eventful first few seasons with the Michigan Wolverines. He hoped to win the starting job, but after others rose above him, he opted to head to Rocky Top to join newly minted head coach Josh Heupel.

On paper, Milton is a fantastic quarterback. He's 6-5 and 245 pounds with a massive arm capable of putting balls into any window. Furthermore, Milton is an impressive athlete capable of running quarterback keepers and executing them, as we saw in the Orange Bowl.

However, he has flaws in his process. Heupel's play calling against Clemson said as much: the Volunteers attacked a lot of "free yardage" by creating leverage mismatches and allowing wide receivers to overpower Clemson's defensive backs. The strategy worked, Milton's stat line looked clean, and he won Offensive MVP.

That isolated contest can't define an entire season. Alabama and Georgia are too good not to pick up on that; the Bulldogs managed to stop it even when Hendon Hooker, one of college's best processors, was starting.

Milton's major issue is timing. He looks out of sync on dropbacks and often fades to one side of the pocket, creating unnecessary pressure. He struggles to throw with timing to the outside and often chooses to use his fastball too much.

The coaching staff can do their best to help Milton in the offseason, but the determining developmental factor will be himself. If Milton can create a comfortable pocket environment and build confidence in himself, he could be a breakout star. If he doesn't, Iamaleava might be getting starting snoops sooner than later.

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