Kendall Milton shares emotional message with Kirby Smart following Orange Bowl win

As time expired in Georgia’s record-setting 63-3 win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl, Kirby Smart embraced running back Kendall Milton. After the triumph, Milton revealed Smart’s message to him in the intimate moment.

“To be with Coach Smart after the game, he told me how proud he was of me,” Milton said. “I feel like if anybody knows Coach Smart, knows what I’ve been through here at Georgia, this not in any way has been an easy journey. Has not been a smooth journey. There’s been a lot of ups and downs, a lot of speed bumps along the way.”

“Coach Smart told me how proud he was of me I stuck it out, I ended up making it to the end, I achieved success. I basically told him thank you for believing in me, because at the end of the day that’s all you can ask for, your coach to believe in you, your teammates to believe in you,” he continued. “That’s all I really said, just thank you for believing in me, thank you for giving me the opportunity to go out there and play the game.”

In the win, Milton carried it nine times for 104 yards and two touchdowns, all coming in the first half of Georgia’s record-setting 63-3 victory. With the performance, Milton scored a touchdown in the final nine games of his career.

As Milton said, it hasn’t been smooth sailing. Milton consistently faced injuries during his time, including this season when a knee injury prevented him from playing in Georgia’s win over UAB and limited his minutes against Auburn.

Kirby Smart proud of Kendall Milton’s resiliency

Despite the setbacks, Milton tallied a career-high 790 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns this season while picking up 6.5 yards a carry. In four years with the Bulldogs, Milton amassed 1,839 yards in the ground game and 23 TDs.

Head coach Kirby Smart couldn’t be prouder.

“Kendall has meant a lot to this program,” Smart told reporters. “He’s given so much. He’s been through a lot. He said that. I still remember going all the way to California, being in his house, seeing him and his parents, and he’s sacrificed a ton to make this program a better place, and he’s worked his tail off. So I thank you Kendall publicly for what (he’s) done.”

Smart and Milton’s hug was more than a celebration. It was a goodbye. After the game, Milton announced he will be entering the 2024 NFL Draft.