Milton is among the second tier of favorites entering the season.
A year ago, not many had Hendon Hooker among their top candidates for the Heisman Trophy. However, it didn’t take too long for the Tennessee signal caller to throw himself squarely in the race. Big wins over Florida and LSU got the ball rolling, then that special performance against Alabama made him the frontrunner.
Of course, it all fell apart as Hooker tore his ACL in the loss to South Carolina. Now with Hooker gone to the Detroit Lions in the NFL, could Joe Milton finish the job and take home the hardware? If last year’s small sample size is any indication, that answer is yes.
The betting markets agree that there’s a chance, too. Milton holds +2200 odds entering the season, per DraftKings Sportsbook. That ranks 13th overall, trailing names like Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels.
Milton, who only started two games for Tennessee in 2022, threw for 971 yards and ten touchdowns. The veteran passer completed 64 percent of his passes last year, and still has not thrown an interception since arriving at Tennessee. Even though plenty of his work came in mop-up duty, Milton did show improvement with his touch and accuracy down the field — his main issue back in 2021. It’s now up to Milton to put it all together this fall.
For comparison, Hooker threw for 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns in just 11 games. He added 430 rushing yards and five more scores on the ground. If Milton can keep Tennessee in the SEC race and put up anything close to those numbers, he’ll certainly be in the conversation.
2023 Heisman Trophy Odds
Caleb Williams (USC) +500
Jayden Daniels (LSU) +1100
Quinn Ewers (Texas) +1300
Jordan Travis (Florida State) +1400
Cade Klubnik (Clemson) +1400
Carson Beck (Georgia) +1400
Drake Maye (North Carolina) +1600
Michael Penix (Washington) +1600
Sam Hartman (Notre Dame) +1600
Bo Nix (Oregon) +1600
JJ McCarthy (Michigan) +1800
Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State) +2000
Joe Milton (Tennessee) +2200
Kyle McCord (Ohio State) +2200
Drew Allar (Penn State) +2500
Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See DraftKings.com/sportsbook for details.