Tennessee football players will start the new season with new Beats by Dre Studio Pro headphones, courtesy of Joe Milton III. The Vols showed off their new headphones, gifted to the team by the redshirt senior starting quarterback, on social media on Wednesday afternoon.
Milton shared a message with his teammates, written on the Beats by Dre box:
Through thick and thin we have each others back, I ride for you because you’re my brothers. We all have one big goal at the end but first let’s win the EAST.
From Jojo to You
BREAKING: Vols QB Joe Milton has gifted teammates their own pairs of Beats By Dre including WR Squirrel White 🤯
“Let’s win the East” ✍🏼 pic.twitter.com/gtTeaLWlpI
— Vol Scoops (@VolScoops) August 23, 2023
Tennessee is 10 days away from starting the new season against Virginia on September 2 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The game is scheduled for a Noon Eastern Time start on ABC.
Last season Milton passed for 971 yards and 10 touchdowns, completing 65 percent of his passes over nine games, but his opportunities were limited playing behind Hendon Hooker.
Milton started in Tennessee’s 56-0 win in the regular-season finale at Vanderbilt a week after Hooker’s season-ending ACL tear, throwing for 147 yards and a touchdown while the Vols rushed for 362 yards and six touchdowns as a team.
He would go on to lead Tennessee to a 31-14 win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium a little over a week later. He was named the game’s MVP after throwing for 251 yards and three touchdowns.
Countdown to Kickoff: Vols vs. Virginia (Nashville), Sept. 2, Noon ET, ABC
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said after Monday’s practice that Milton has done all the right things on the field to prepare for his final season with the Vols.
“You put quarterbacks in tough situations and some situations during practice,” Heupel said. “You put them in the hardest spots that they can be in. (Milton has) continued to grow his understanding of football 101, understanding when can I hang in the pocket, when’s it time to get rid of football and make sure that in a certain situation, whether we’re backed up or in field goal (range), where you’ve got three (points), trying to get seven, understanding the timing and how to play smart football in those situations.
“He’s continued to grow and love what he’s done. The other quarterbacks in the room have continued to grow. We put them into a lot of situations. I think that’s one of the things that I’ve done as a head coach is try to create more situational awareness and actually getting more reps in those situations. That’s been a part of helping those guys, but all 125 (players) in the locker room.”
There has been no hesitation from Milton in taking over as Tennessee’s starting quarterback. Back in July, during SEC Media Days in Nashville, he let reporters know just how ready to go he was.
“I’m extremely, extremely confident,” Milton said at the time. “I trust the guys around me. I trust my coaches to go through the preparation with me confidently. I’m extremely confident, and I’m ready for it.”
“I’m just ready to show off my game, period,” Milton added later. “It means a lot to me to show off to myself. I mean, nothing else matters. Once you make yourself happy, I feel like you’ll be good to go.”
