Transfer Spotlight – Florida State QB McKenzie Milton

At CFB Saturdays we recognize that the landscape is always changing in College Football and the undeniable impact transfers have had on our beloved sport in recent history.  Transfers have gone on to make College Football Playoff runs, win the Heisman, the National Championship, and become top NFL Draft Picks (Joe Burrow recently accomplished all of the above).  In the Transfer Spotlight we take a look at the potential impact of top Transfers in 2021.  Today we take a look at Florida State QB McKenzie Milton who was a star at UCF before injuries derailed his career.

A Cruel Twist Of Fate

Milton was part of Scott Frost’s incredible run at UCF that saw the Golden Knights go 13 – 0 in 2017 and 12 – 1 in 2018. Milton was one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He had completed over 60 percent of his passes, averaged 8.5 yards per attempt and thrown 72 touchdowns against just 22 interceptions in his career. Milton had also run for 1,000 yards in his career and scored 20 touchdowns rushing. Unfortunately his promising career came to a screeching halt late in the 2018 season.

On November 23, 2018, Milton ran around the right side of the line of scrimmage. He picked up a decent gain but was hit low by the USF defender and it was immediately apparent that all was not well. Milton was carted off with a severe leg injury and has not thrown a pass in a college game since. Milton had ruptured an artery near his knee and suffered nerve damage as a result of the injury. With Milton out, Dillon Gabriel took over the starting quarterback position. Milton did run scout team this past season, but did not attempt a pass during the season.

Milton entered the transfer portal in December and decided to continue his playing career at Florida State.  The Seminoles are going through a rebuild with head coach Mike Norvell trying to reshape the roster and install a new culture.  The quarterback play was far from good for the Seminoles in 2020, three quarterbacks attempted at least 50 passes for the Seminoles and none of them performed above average against their opponents. Florida State is hopeful that Milton is healthy and will return to form in 2021.

Milton’s Talents

It seems like it was a long time ago, but McKenzie Milton was one of the best quarterbacks in the game before his injury.  He was certainly undersized at 5’11” 185 lbs, but Milton had the rare playmaking ability that few players possess.  Milton throws an accurate ball from various arm slots, while in the pocket or on the move outside the pocket. He does a good job of finding seams in the defense and throws into the windows in the defense efficiently. Milton throws the deep ball with good touch, allowing his receivers to run under it and make the play.

As a runner Milton is quick and slippery, weaving in and out of the defense and picking up big gains where most would not care to look. He runs the option well and has the natural instincts to make plays for his team. The biggest concern with Milton is his health. He has not played football in a long time so it is hard to know if the knee is capable of doing what it used to. Additionally, even if he is medically 100 percent, it’s tough to know if Milton will have the confidence in his knee to trust it. These questions can only be answered on the field, where Florida State fans are eagerly waiting to see Milton.

Outlook at Florida State

Florida State was unable to get consistency out of the quarterback position in 2020. The Seminoles struggled to find a quarterback Mike Norvell could trust to run his offense in year one. James Blackman has transferred out of the program and Chuba Purdy and Jordan Travis were not in 2020 and have work to do before 2021. If Milton is healthy he should be the starting quarterback for the Seminoles come 2021.

The Seminoles had a tough season in 2020, finishing 3 – 6. They have had many players leave the program already via the transfer portal and have added new players from the portal as well. The offense averaged just 25.8 points per game last season and will need to add talent on the offensive line and at receiver to give Milton a chance to play up to his abilities.

With very little offensive success in 2020, the new talent will have to come through the transfer portal or in recruiting. Florida State did recruit a pair of talented receivers, led by Destyn Hill. Hill is an advanced prospect who knows how to get open and can make an impact early in his career at Florida State. The Seminoles also signed, Malik McClain out of IMG Academy. McClain is a tall receiver with good athleticism who shined on ESPN early in the season. The duo could add much needed talent to the receiver room in Tallahassee.

The offensive line is a different animal. Continuity and experience are key to being effective up front. One bright spot in 2020 was the play of Robert Scott Jr, who performed well at tackle as a true freshman. Paired with Devontay Love-Taylor who was Florida State’s best offensive lineman in 2020, the Seminoles could have a foundation to build on up front.

McKenzie Milton will not be the solution to all of Florida State’s problems. If he is healthy, he will give the offense a potential star at the most important position on the field. The Seminoles have other needs to fill if they want to have a successful season in 2021, but at least with Milton they have a good place for their offense to begin. Mike Norvell still has plenty of work to do this off-season, but he’s off to a good start.

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Seminoles Football image taken by Jonathan Breaker is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.