'It was a weird competition' - Former Vols player makes honest admission about 2021 QB battle between Joe Milton and Hendon Hooker

Just before the start of the 2021 season, which was Josh Heupel's first as the head coach of the Tennessee Vols, Michigan transfer Joe Milton was named as UT's starting quarterback over Virginia Tech transfer Hendon Hooker. 

Milton started the first two games of the 2021 season for the Vols, but he was replaced (after an injury) in the first half of his second start (against Pittsburgh) by Hooker. 

Hooker wasn't able to lead the Vols to a win against Pittsburgh (the Vols lost 41-34), but he took a stronghold on the starting quarterback job and ended up becoming one of the best quarterbacks in program history. 

So why did Milton win the job over Hooker if Hooker was the best option all along? 

According to former Vols offensive lineman Ollie Lane, who played with Milton and Hooker from 2021 to 2023, it's because Milton was a great practice player and Hooker wasn't. 

"I've said that for years [that] Joe was a great practice player," said Lane during a recent appearance on The Sports Source. "And that's no knock on his game at all. But Joe was great in practice. Looked amazing in practice. Hendon was not the best practice player. That's when he would sometimes make mistakes that were stupid mistakes in practice.

"That competition, it was a weird competition because Joe really did win that competition in practice -- because he was the better quarterback in practice. But then when you get in those game situations, practice isn't always like the game, and so Hendon was just a true gamer. He knew how to step up to that stage and get it done. And that's not to say Joe didn't, but Joe could obviously put that on better in practice. And so that made it seem like he was the easy option (to be named the starter)."