Comparing Joe Milton and Jarrett Guarantano’s Tennessee careers
Joe Milton just concluded a season that could be described as exceedingly average. However, a large portion of the fanbase is treating him like an all-time great. Joe Milton carried himself incredibly off the field when he was benched for Hendon Hooker in 2021, and continued to support Hooker as he led the Vols to an incredible season in 2022. Great Teammate no doubt, and I understand that Joe Milton is by all accounts a terrific person. However, being a nice person shouldn’t make you immune to criticism, and I don’t think the portion of our fanbase that ties themselves in knots to defend Milton understand that. The excuses being made for Milton throughout the year were endless, and you can’t convince me that he wasn’t a big part of the offensive woes for the Vols this year.
There is a recent Tennessee Quarterback that had similar production when compared to Joe Milton but is remembered in a completely different way. Jarrett Guarantano was a Vol from 2016-2020 and was a popular scapegoat for the Vol fanbase during the Pruitt era. Now to be fair JG was never a world beater at the position and was prone to backbreaking turnovers in big moments. However, JG had a few things working against him in those years. First off the offensive line play frequently got him killed, but JG toughed it out and played through it. Secondly, the offensive scheme that JG was forced to run was straight out of the 1980’s. Lastly, JG was never blessed with a running game as potent as what Joe Milton was blessed with this season. Let’s compare Milton’s career stats vs. JG’s.
Even with similar production as Milton, JG was treated like scum by the fanbase. He was frequently booed, constantly blamed, and his departure to Washington State was celebrated throughout Big Orange Country. You can say he wasn’t as likable as a person as Joe Milton, but I would push back on that notion. JG played through an injury in 2019 with basically a plaster glove on his left hand. He was still able to lead a comeback at Kentucky in that stretch and throw for over 400 yards in a victory at Missouri (Peyton Manning and Tyler Bray are the only other Vol QB’s to surpass 400 yards in a single game). Furthermore, even under constant duress by the fan base JG never said anything negative about the fans. I would also argue that in Heupel’s offense JG would have been an absolute stud, but instead he had to deal with Jim Chaney and his Waffle House menu glaring down at him from the coaches box. I just think the way the numbers stack up there is no justification for the disparity in how they are looked at by the fanbase.
All I ask is for a little bit of consistency from our fan base. Two very similar players that were both deserving of criticism, but only one of them will likely never show their face in Knoxville again.