SAD NEWS: Joe Milton got involved in a plane crash and……….

Joe Milton III walked through his throwing session on Friday in preparation for his final game for Tennessee football inside Neyland Stadium. Emotions began to flow out as a result.

Friday was time to reminisce, but Saturday was all business. Milton went “out with a bang” in a 48-24 win over Vanderbilt. The sixth-year quarterback went for a career highs of 383 yards and six total touchdowns, which was the most by a Tennessee player since Jonathan Crompton in 2009.

“Every game, you try to do that,” Milton said. “But the most important one is the last one inside of the stadium. You show a team that is how we play when we get inside of this stadium. That is the legacy that I am going to hold on to.”

Milton’s journey to being the Vols’ starting quarterback has been anything but easy. It has been one of waiting along with a hint of disappointment.

He began his collegiate career at Michigan sitting as a backup for his first two years, completing just 11 passes for 117 yards in that period. Milton took over as the starter in year three, but his stint as a starter was short-lived due to injury, COVID-19 and underperforming.

Milton won the starting job after transferring to Tennessee in 2021 only to have it taken away by an injury against Pittsburgh. Hendon Hooker ran away with the job, but Milton stayed in Knoxville as he continued to compete.

Hooker suffered an ACL tear late in 2022, and Milton led the Vols to a 2-0 record with an Orange Bowl victory in his place. With Hooker departing for the NFL, 2023 was officially Milton’s year.

It was a roller coaster of success for his first and last full year as a starter, leading Tennessee to an 8-4 record with 2,813 yards and 20 touchdowns. Milton described his journey as “shaky.”

“You just look back at those things, and I just never gave myself the fruits of the labor,” Milton said. “This is the longest season I have ever been in. Making it through, being able to go game from game and flushing the last one. That is pretty much all you ask for.”

After his career day, he made sure to give a nod to the guys next to him. Those two were McCallan Castles and Jacob Warren, who he connected with for a touchdown each. Milton credited the rest of the offense, saying, “Joe isn’t Joe without the other 10.”

The 10 Milton was referring to were represented by a lot of different bodies throughout the season as injuries piled up, but each of them helped him along the way.

“I didn’t do it alone,” Milton said. “I had a whole bunch of guys behind me, and they were telling me all the right things. They kept me up. They made sure that I was smiling because everybody knew if I wasn’t smiling, nobody else was smiling.”

Milton’s legacy may not be as concrete as Hooker’s, but his final performance happened to be his best in any uniform. At the end of the day, what Milton hopes will never be in question was his commitment to Tennessee football.

“Playing inside this stadium one last time was amazing,” Milton said. “I wish the guys that come up after us take it as seriously as us. We left a legacy here that there is only one way we play when we get inside that stadium and that’s hard. There’s only two things you can control, and that’s your effort and your attitude.”