“I don’t know how to answer that question,” he said after a few seconds. How far can you throw a ball, anyway? When Milton got a question about the Georgia game and the way the Bulldogs routed Hooker and the Vols last season, Milton paused. The 80-yard bomb Milton threw at the Manning Passing Academy that went viral. Seven TV cameras were rolling on Milton as he entered. SEC projected win totals for all 14 teams, best bets from Austin Mock's model Joe Milton as Josh Heupel Milton seemed to enjoy talking about his teammates, including defensive players he has seen improve ( Tyler Baron, Wesley Walker and Kamal Hadden were his first responses) and the speed of new receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr., a transfer from Oregon. Nuts and bolts football talk got heavier in the next room with questioner Dennis Dodd, then on SiriusXM and SEC Radio hits. That required a do-over - no brand names, please. Asked who he would most like to have over for Thanksgiving, dead or alive, he answered: “Harriet Tubman.”Īsked to say as many interesting things as he could about himself for 20 seconds, he mentioned his love for designer Louis Vuitton and pointed to his Louis Vuitton sneakers. He also answered some quick hitters, such as three things he wishes he knew more about (the moon, animals and the brain were his answers). Milton smiled into a camera and said things such as, “This is ‘College Football Today,’” and “This is ‘Inside College Football,’ stay tuned, it’s worth the watch.” The next room involved a lot of cutting of promos for shows on CBS, which is entering its last season with SEC television rights. He was the first person Thursday to ask the question Milton got many times and answered the same way each time: How far can you throw a football?Īssessing the Vols and churning out promos Neuheisel told Milton the story of watching in disbelief during warmups before last season’s UT home win over Missouri as Milton launched pass after pass of more than 80 yards. He threw some “would you rather” hypotheticals at Milton, such as, would you rather be afflicted with permanent bad breath or body odor? Milton reluctantly went with the breath. Analyst Rick Neuheisel, a former college coach and NFL quarterback, was in the first room. Then it was three straight CBS rooms, 10 minutes a pop. He posed in front of a huge orange “T.” He hammed it up as requested. Milton went from there to Burns, and after discovering Heupel’s musical range, it was time for him to hit the “SEC Creative Room.”įor 15 minutes, Milton was shot in a variety of pictures and videos to use on the SEC’s social media platforms and in SEC Network programming. The players changed into suits at the airport, the group took a bus to the hotel and at 10:30 Heupel and the players took turns answering questions from local media in their meeting room. The nine-seat plane, each seat featuring a stitched orange power “T,” had a quick and bumpy flight to Nashville. He had breakfast at the UT team facility and then joined eight others - Heupel, teammates Omari Thomas and Jacob Warren, Barows, Ferguson, football videographer Luke Poorman and spokesmen Jason Baum and Bill Martin - on a private UT plane. (4:30 Nashville time) for Milton at his Knoxville apartment. “You won’t like it.” Hendon Hooker’s lessons “You’ll know it,” UT photographer Andrew Ferguson told him. Milton encountered some off-the-wall questions, some fishing for spicy quotes, and a lot of the same things over and over. Those five hours for the magnetic Milton included laughs, jokes, autographs for fans, photos, videos, Milton impersonations of Heupel and Paul Finebaum, clear themes about his journey to this point, three bathroom breaks and no food. Milton is one of the league’s most interesting, a 23-year-old sixth-year senior taking over Heupel’s surging program in his last chance to put together a successful starting season and show he’s an NFL prospect, not just the biggest arm known to football. Tennessee granted The Athletic full access to Milton - most of the time spent by SEC players and coaches is in areas restricted to all but the league’s network and other broadcast partners - for a glimpse at what this is like for a player. Milton had already received more requests than Tennessee coach Josh Heupel, Barows explained. on the second floor, near radio row, Barows was a few feet away telling such a producer asking such a question that it might be tough. As SEC Network’s Peter Burns interviewed Milton at 11:04 a.m.
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