Recruiting Service Ranks Two Vols In College Football Top 100

The Tennessee Volunteers put up points at a historic rate in 2022, and the national media is respecting that pace by recognizing Joe Milton III and Dont'e Thornton.

With the college football season just 100 days away, On3 put out a list of the top 100 college football players heading into next season. Tennessee did get some recognition with quarterback Joe Milton lll slotting in at No. 81 and Oregon transfer wide receiver Dont'e Thornton coming in at No. 95.

Let's start with Milton, who was the 9th highest-ranked quarterback on the list. Milton came into Knoxville with a ton of promise after a tough couple of seasons at Michigan. We know about the arm talent, but decision-making and accuracy had always been questions with him. After stepping in for an injured Hendon Hooker last season, Milton played well. He was inaccurate against Vanderbilt in the regular season finale but still managed to throw a touchdown and no interceptions in a lopsided Vols victory. The real show came in the Orange Bowl against Clemson, where Milton threw for 251 yards, completed nearly 68% of his passes, and threw for three touchdowns in a win. Once again, Milton displayed his arm talent but showed a lot of progress compared to years past.

As the 9th-ranked quarterback, it's probably fair to criticize the ranking as Milton is still unproven, but with now two full years in Josh Heupel's system, it's also fair to say that he will have a big season. Now to Dont'e Thornton, who comes in as a system fit for the Vols. Thornton was the 13th-ranked wide receiver on the list, and he also is a little bit of a prove-it player for Tennessee. In nine games last season for Oregon, Thornton caught just 17 passes for 366 yards and one touchdown.

Got a feeling Joe Milton & Dont’e Thornton are going to become friends pretty quickly.

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— Evan Crowell (@evanvcrowell) March 12, 2023

While just a sophomore last season, it's clear that speed is why Tennessee has brought him in. Thornton was a track athlete in high school, and one of the events he competed in was the 100-meter dash. 

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