NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III was named to his third major award preseason watch list on Friday when he was tabbed as one of 45 players to watch for the 2023 Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, as announced by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
The redshirt senior has also been included on the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien Award watch lists heading into this season.
Milton was one of 20 quarterbacks on Walter Camp Award preseason watch list, including three from the Southeastern Conference, joining LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Mississippi State’s Will Rogers.
The strong-armed signal caller from Pahokee, Florida, has made 17 appearances during his two seasons with the Vols, making four starts in that span. During the 2022 season, Milton completed 53-of-82 (.650) passes for 971 yards and 10 touchdowns while throwing no interceptions. Of the 114 FBS quarterbacks to throw 10 or more touchdowns last year, Milton was the only one to have zero picks.
After serving as UT’s backup quarterback last fall, Milton was thrust into action as the starter in the final two games of the 2022 campaign. He engineered the Tennessee offense to a 56-0 victory at Vanderbilt to close out the regular season before capping the year with an MVP performance in the Capital One Orange Bowl as the Vols took down No. 7 Clemson, 31-14.
Milton was marvelous in Miami Gardens, completing 19-of-28 passes for 251 yards and a career-high tying three touchdowns to lead UT to its first New Year’s Six bowl victory during the College Football Playoff era (2014-present). The win punctuated Tennessee’s first 11-win season since 2001 and first win in the Orange Bowl since defeating Oklahoma in 1939.
The 2023 watch list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists in mid-November. The 2023 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 133 NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced on ESPN’s College Football Awards Show in December. The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation’s 57th annual national awards banquet in New Haven, Connecticut in early 2024.
To view the full preseason watch list for the 2023 Walter Camp Award, click HERE.
A complete list of Tennessee’s preseason honors can be found below.
2023 Tennessee Football Preseason Honors
Sr. DE Tyler Baron
All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon)
Sr. LB Aaron Beasley
All-SEC Third Team (Athlon)
Sr. OL Cooper Mays
Rimington Trophy Watch List
All-SEC Third Team (Media)
All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon, Phil Steele)
Sr. WR Bru McCoy
All-SEC Second Team (Athlon, Media, Phil Steele)
Sr. QB Joe Milton III
Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List
Davey O’Brien Award Watch List
Maxwell Award Watch List
All-SEC Third Team (Media, Phil Steele)
Sr. RB Jabari Small
Doak Walker Award Preseason Candidate List
Sr. OL Javontez Spraggins
All-SEC Third Team (Media)
R-Sr. TE Jacob Warren
Mackey Award Watch List
Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Nominee
So. WR Squirrel White
All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon)
Sr. RS Dee Williams
All-American Fourth Team (Phil Steele)
All-SEC Third Team (Athlon, Phil Steele)
Jr. RB Jaylen Wright
Doak Walker Award Preseason Candidate List
All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon)