🏈 Hype bigger than Joe Milton's arm

Hello. This is the Josh and Swain Newsletter, a quick roundup of the week’s top stories and topics involving Tennessee and the sports world.

Here’s what we have for you today:

• An impressive story for both Josh Heupel AND Joe Milton

• Big expectations for Tennessee? Bring ‘em on!

• What’s next for Tennessee and its NCAA case?

• How Tennessee’s recruiting has taken off in two years

SEE HOW FAR JOE CAN THROW

The hype around Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III is starting to take off.

A recent newsletter mentioned ESPN analyst Greg McElroy had called Milton a darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidate.

McElroy isn’t the only football evaluator outside Knoxville intrigued by Milton.

Aaron Murray, a former Georgia quarterback and now ESPN/Sirius XM analyst, called Milton the most talented quarterback in the country this week.

Murray noted that having the most talent doesn’t guarantee Milton will be the best quarterback. Still, Murray brought up Milton’s All-American potential this season.

So the college football world has taken notice.

But that’s not it.

ESPN/SEC Network Cole Cubelic joined Josh and Swain this week and shared a cool story from Tennessee’s recent Pro Day.

A school’s Pro Day offers NFL teams the chance to watch and evaluate draft prospects in a more private setting.

New rules allow underclassmen to work out, too. And NFL teams wanted to see Milton — who will enter next year’s draft — throw at UT’s Pro Day.

Cubelic told us that when word traveled that Milton might throw, more NFL personnel planned on attending.

From Cubelic:

Heupel wasn’t trying to restrict Milton; he was trying to help the other players who are in this year’s draft.

That’s why Cole shared the story: to show the human side of Heupel looking out for his players.

The story also provides insight into the excitement around Milton.

He’s a huge quarterback with a monster arm.

And now with a better understanding of Tennessee’s offense and his position, Milton might be ready to unleash all that potential.

Heupel knows what Milton is capable of doing on the field. And Milton looks ready to show it.

Everyone else is eager to see it.

Check out our full conversation with Cole Cubelic, who offered great insight about Tennessee’s offense entering the 2023 season. ⬇️⬇️

BRING ON THE NOISE

Speaking of Heupel, his offense and the team’s success in 2022 have changed the perception of the program.

And that has altered expectations for Tennessee moving forward.

Fine by Heupel.

Speaking to the media at Wednesday’s Big Orange Caravan stop in Nashville, Heupel acknowledged the growing expectations for the Vols.

“The expectations in the building are what matter,” Heupel said. “We want the noise on the outside — the high expectations (and) belief in what we’re doing.”

Heupel is not afraid of big expectations. He has them, too.

Heupel was the starting quarterback on Oklahoma’s 2000 national championship team. He knows about storied programs with big expectations.

Heupel’s confidence and experience helped his team prepare for wins against teams like Florida and Alabama last season.

Those games carried a lot of hype. Tennessee’s coach was ready for it.

And Heupel knows what follows that kind of success: the desire for more success. Heupel:

That work happens now.

Tennessee’s strength program has developed players and found consistency under coach Kurt Schmidt (who has a great title: Director of Competition Development).

We’ll see what the squad looks like when they return to the field in August. Let the Fall Camp Countdown begin.

SPORTS NUGGETS

🏈 Did you see where ESPN’s Power Index ranked Tennessee for the 2023 season? (I’m more of an SP+ guy for those keeping analytics score.)

🏈 Tennessee’s NCAA infractions hearing ended a day early. Is that a good thing or a bad thing for Tennessee/Jeremy Pruitt?

🏈 NFL Mock Draft of the week: Check out which team Peter Schrager predicted will take Hendon Hooker. (Only six more days until the draft!)

⚾ Tennessee is 5-10 in SEC play and needs a series win vs No. 4 ranked Vanderbilt. Here’s weekend info for the big series.

🏀 The first week of the NBA playoffs has been a hit. Here’s a rundown of the series’ results and storylines.

⚽ One Knox Sporting Club returns home for a Friday night game. Here’s the team schedule. (Heads up: we’re giving away One Knox tickets all season long on Josh and Swain.)

🎧 College football/draft analyst Michael Felder was great on the show talking about Tennessee players in the draft. Listen below. ⬇️

STICK TO SPORTS!

Did you know Netflix still delivers physical DVDs?

Do you even have a DVD player?

Well, after delivering more than five billion DVDs, Netflix announced it will ship out its final red envelope in September.

The streaming world continues to take over.

It’s up to Redbox to carry the DVD rental weight now.

ONE LAST BYTE OUT THE DOOR

The other item of interest for Heupel and Tennessee: recruiting.

It never actually stops, but there’s a lot to focus on for the Vols’ staff.

Tennessee landed a commitment from safety Edrees Farooq from Baltimore, Md., last weekend and continues to go after some of the nation’s top prospects.

That includes five-star wide receivers Mike Matthews and Ryan Wingo, according to Volquest’s Austin Price.

“I believe Tennessee continues to have momentum with Ryan Wingo. Even with the latest kind of crystal balls and projections to Georgia, I still think Tennessee has momentum there.”

Check out our conversation with Austin Price, who gave out more details on Tennessee’s top targets and explained how the Vols’ recruiting has taken off the last two years. ⬇️⬇️

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Thank you for reading.