Florida State quarterback McKenzie Milton ready to return from leg injury

After almost three years, McKenzie Milton is set to make his return to the football field. The former UCF quarterback is now a member of the Florida State Seminoles and faces Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.

The last time Milton played a football game was Nov. 23, 2018. He suffered a leg injury that caused artery and nerve damage, a dislocated knee and torn ligaments. He nearly had to have the leg amputated. That he has a chance to play football again is nothing short of a medical miracle.

Milton spoke with ESPN ahead of Sunday’s game. The new Seminoles quarterback said he is ready to return after making multiple trips back and forth to a specialist in Minnesota throughout his recovery.

“If I’m going to play I’m going to be full-go, I’m going to be better than I was or just as good,” Milton said. “You don’t get what you deserve; you get what you earn, so you’ve got to go get it.”

Coach Mike Norvell has not yet announced whether Milton or Jordan Travis will start in the opener. Travis played in eight games for the Seminoles in 2020, finishing with 1,056 yards passing and six touchdowns. Florida State finished just 3-6.

Milton was the starting quarterback for UCF during its undefeated season in 2017. The quarterback passed for 4,037 yards, 37 touchdowns and seven interceptions that year. He played 10 games the following season and won all of them before suffering the leg injury.

As he began to work his way back last year, Milton got an opportunity to take a snap but declined coach Josh Heupel’s offer. He decided that if he was going to play, he would start.

Since arriving in Tallahassee, Milton has made quite the impression on his coaches and teammates through his journey.

“For me, I don’t look at what happened to him, I look at what he is now,” Florida State offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham said. “He’s fully cleared. He’s comfortable. It’s that simple. People on the outside, they looked at the injury and they looked at what happens to the normal person with that injury.

“But he’s not normal. He’s a special person. His knee feels good. When he feels good, his natural instincts take over, and he’s not thinking about his knee. He’s thinking about what he’s done his entire life, and that’s what puts me at ease, that’s what makes me calm about it. He doesn’t play in fear. He plays fearless because he feels 1,000% comfortable with where he is.”

Milton has been adamant that he doesn’t want a snap just for the sake of it. If he plays Sunday, it will be because he earned the starting position.

The fact that he is back on a football team alone is impressive enough. However, if Milton can return to some of the production we saw at UCF, it could be one of the best stories this season.

“I feel like my mindset is (back to normal),” Milton said. “But I don’t think it will ever be back to normal because of the scars and stuff like that. In terms of fluidity and movement and feeling comfortable on the football field, I feel normal. I feel even more confident than I did prior to getting hurt in terms of mentally understanding what the offense is doing, what the defense is doing. I feel really good.”

Fans in not only Tallahassee and Orlando, but all over the country will be cheering McKenzie Milton on in his return.