Vols insider shares feelings on Joe Milton's status for Citrus Bowl; details what the plan needs to be for Nico Iamaleava
One of the biggest questions surrounding the Tennessee Vols' matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Citrus Bowl is whether or not UT quarterback Joe Milton will play. Opt outs for non-playoff bowl games have become increasingly common over the last couple of years — especially for quarterbacks with NFL aspirations. For now, it's unclear […]
One of the biggest questions surrounding the Tennessee Vols' matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Citrus Bowl is whether or not UT quarterback Joe Milton will play.
Opt outs for non-playoff bowl games have become increasingly common over the last couple of years — especially for quarterbacks with NFL aspirations.
For now, it's unclear what Milton's draft stock looks like — the draft combine and his Pro-Day will go a long way in determining how NFL teams view the soon-to-be 24 year old quarterback — but there's no doubt that he's preparing to play in the NFL in 2024.
The Citrus Bowl, however, is played in Orlando, which is where Milton played his high school football (he's originally from South Florida). Milton has made it clear in the past that playing in Florida is something that's important to him, which is why it's hard to imagine him skipping the game against Iowa.
VolQuest's Brent Hubbs, a longtime Tennessee football insider, appeared on 104.5 The Zone's "Ramon, Kayla, and Will" on Friday morning and he said he believes Milton will play in the Citrus Bowl.
"Joe has done everything with his teammates, which gives me the belief he's going to play in the bowl game," said Hubbs. "I don't have any reason to say that he's not. I know there's been some debate, some talk about maybe he wouldn't (play in the bowl game). It certainly feels like he's going to."
While Hubbs thinks Milton will play, he also thinks the Vols need to give true freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava plenty of reps in practice leading up to the Citrus Bowl. Hubbs also said he thinks Tennessee needs to play Iamaleava early in the Citrus Bowl.
"You have to disperse those reps (Milton and Iamaleava), I think, a bit differently," said Hubbs. "You got to get Nico as many reps as you can get him. I think you have to have a plan to get him on the field early in the game if Joe's playing."
"I'm not saying you're sacrificing the bowl game, because you're not," continued Hubbs. "But at the same time, you got to build some things for the future. And you've got to look at some of that stuff for the future. And I think everybody wants to see Nico. I think he deserves some more opportunities. That doesn't mean that Joe shouldn't get opportunities [or] shouldn't start. But if Joe's gonna play, I think you have to tell Joe, 'Hey, we're gonna play Nico in the first half of this game, okay, and this is what we have to do for the future and to get ready for the future'. So we'll see. I would give Nico more reps than he typically gets in a game week."
It's going to be a tough balancing act for Vols head coach Josh Heupel. Milton, who has spent three seasons at Tennessee, deserves a chance to go out on a high note — especially with the final game of his UT career happening in Florida. But at the same time, Heupel has to get a head start on the 2024 season. And getting Nico some reps outside of garbage time has to be part of that preparation. We'll see how it plays out on New Year's Day when Tennessee kicks off against Iowa in the Citrus Bowl.
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