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For a quarterback who hasn’t thrown so much as a pass in a game in two years now, McKenzie Milton continues to be very impressive.
On or off the field.
His remarkable comeback from horrendous knee, ligament and nerve injuries in a Nov. 23, 2018 game that nearly cost him his right leg, is a lifetime achievement in its own right, but definitely not the end of his story.
A week ago when rumors circulated that he would return to the field for the University of Central Florida against South Florida, the team he was injured against, Milton quickly shot them down. No, he said, he wasn’t interested in a cameo role and bows, no matter how compelling the feel-good storyline.
When he stepped on the field, Milton maintained, that he wanted to be 100% and he wasn’t — just yet.
Then, on Thursday, when he told ESPN he had entered the NCAA’s transfer portal with the intention of playing his final year someplace other than UCF he did it with a touch of class that honored his protege, Dillon Gabriel, and himself.
Gabriel had succeeded Milton as the quarterback at Mililani High. And when Gabriel wasn’t getting the college offers that his potential said he should have, Milton went to bat for him with UCF head coach Josh Heupel.
The next thing you knew, Gabriel was in Orlando, Fla., and look who was mentoring him.
After Milton went down with the injury, leaving a void at the quarterback for 2019, Gabriel seized the opportunity and now reigns as this season’s national leader in passing yards per game (372.6) and total offense (387.9).
Milton, who finished eighth in 2017 voting for the Heisman Trophy that was won by Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, has been operating the scout team for UCF since October and expects to be at 100% in time for spring practice.
Probably Gabriel wins the head-to-head competition in 2021, if there was one. Maybe not. But it would likely test the harmony surrounding the team and become the dominating issue leading into the season.
Knowing that better than anyone at UCF, Milton told ESPN, “I know my clock is ticking. I’ve only got one more year to play, and the momentum Dillon has, I wouldn’t want any controversy in the locker room. He’s earned the right to be the starter here at UCF. I see that, and I feel it’s best for both UCF and myself that I move on elsewhere. I’m trying to chase the dream of playing in the NFL, so I’ve got to give myself the best opportunity to do that.”
Milton added, “It is very emotional, but it’s one of those things where Dillon and I are on our own paths. He’s on his at UCF, and I just feel like mine is coming to an end, so I feel like the torch is passed. He’s going to continue to do great things. It’s a hard decision, but it also makes the most sense.”
The NCAA’s COVID-19 declaration on player eligibility has given Milton a sixth year of eligibility and you’d have to think the chances of gaining a seventh year would be good should he choose to petition for hardship relief.
With that no doubt in the mind of some schools, “The phone is already ringing,” Milton’s dad, Mark, said. “It is going to be an interesting next few weeks. He is going to take his time and see where the right fit is.”
Some early speculation has centered on Nebraska. Scott Frost, the Nebraska coach, recruited Milton to UCF in 2016 and last month publicly offered him an opportunity to coach when his playing days are over.
“He wants to be a coach and we’ve talked a lot, when he’s ready to be a coach, he’s going to come and help us in Nebraska,” Frost told a Lincoln radio station. “He’ll certainly have the opportunity to if he wants to. He’s just the type of guy you want around because of who he is …”
On or off the field.
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