McKenzie Milton could be a rising star in the coaching industry

As a quarterback in college, McKenzie Milton became a legend at UCF under head coaches Scott Frost and Josh Heupel. Now, he is joining Heupel’s staff at Tennessee as an offensive analyst.

“I’m just excited to get back into football. I missed it a bunch,” Milton said of the move.

This is a move that could be great for Milton, who is starting to be seen as a rising star in the coaching industry. On3’s JD PicKell broke down what makes Milton a rising star during a recent episode of The Hard Count.

“I’ll say this too, just so we have it on record, McKenzie Milton, from everything I know about him, from his playing career to his character to how Josh Heupel talks about him, I think he’s a rising star in the industry,” PicKell said. “And for Tennessee to be in on the ground floor, it sounds like McKenzie Milton, according to ESPN, said it was a no-brainer when the Tennessee opportunity became available to him to join this staff.”

Milton is going to bring a unique perspective to the Tennessee staff. He was a player under Heupel at UCF and was extremely competitive back then. However, his college career was derailed due to an injury that nearly cost him his leg. However, he rehabbed for years and eventually returned to the playing field, albeit after he transferred to Florida State.

“If you’re in Knoxville, you hang onto him as long as you possibly can. I don’t think we’re that far away from McKenzie Milton eventually being a position coach to eventually being a coordinator, and who knows how far away we are from him being a head coach?” PicKell said.

“I’m just saying this, I think McKenzie Milton is made of the right stuff and to have him on your staff in Knoxville to kind of help nurture this quarterback room, I think it’s a very subtle impact that could pay dividends for these guys and their progress come the fall.”

A modern player, McKenzie Milton also brings a ton of experience with NIL. In 2021, he co-founded Dreamfield with D’Eriq King. Through that platform, he has helped student-athletes find NIL deals and offer resources to student-athletes.

After transferring to Florida State, McKenzie Milton developed a great relationship with quarterback Jordan Travis, taking on a mentorship role for the young quarterback. Travis explained how important Milton was to him.

“McKenzie is my guy. It’s like one of my best friends. I used to watch him and look up to him when I was in high school and he was at UCF. McKenzie taught me a lot. He has had a rough journey, but it made him who he is today,” Travis said.

“I learned a lot. The way he led as soon as he got into the room, he is a really respectable guy. Never stepped on anybody’s toes. He just is a really special person. Moving forward now I can just bring all that stuff together and try to just keep picking his mind, picking his mind. I was on the phone with him last night. Just trying to grow every day.”

Can McKenzie Milton help Joe Milton?

Joe Milton has a lot of experience in Josh Heupel’s system at this point, though he hasn’t had to be the starting quarterback for a full season at Tennessee, yet. In 2023, he’ll need to take on that role, though, and play at a high level for the Volunteers.

There is some thought that McKenzie Milton could help a lot in his success.

“I think, ripple effect or one of the first impact pieces of McKenzie Milton joining the staff as an offensive analyst, remember what Joe Milton credited a lot of his success to a season ago,” PicKell said.

“It was Hendon Hooker. Hendon Hooker goes down with an injury and he is essentially a second coach for Joe Milton throughout the bowl game and obviously they were very tight. And I’m sure he will still utilize him as Hendon Hooker is now with the Detroit Lions. But no longer is Hendon Hooker in that meeting room with him. No longer is he able to process things in real time with Joe Milton.”