'I'm going to give my all': New UCF QB coach McKenzie Milton staying with Tennessee for playoffs

New UCF quarterbacks coach McKenzie Milton was all smiles last week as he embraced old friends back at his alma mater. The Tennessee offensive analyst had gotten the call from his old coach Scott Frost to join his staff and it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

But the job wasn’t the only thing he couldn’t pass up. He wanted to finish his journey with this Tennessee Football team and that’s why he is pulling double duty until the Volunteer’s season ends.

“I think the first thing is the kids earned the right to be there and they should have all resources on deck to be able to go chase what they’ve earned in the beginning of January,” Milton said. “Really their whole lives that something you dream about as a kid and I think as a former player who’s played in big games, you know that the sweat equity you have in something like that and you know how hard it is to get there. And really Coach Frost, when he took the Nebraska job, still came back and coached us in the Peach Bowl where he was having to do cross country recruiting, flying back on red eyes to coach us early in the morning so he knows what it looks like.

“And my head coach at Tennessee, Josh Heupel, knows what it looks like having won a national championship and both them know those opportunities are many times once in a lifetime. So it’s really, one, the coaches I work for understand what it looks like and what goes into it and how special of an opportunity it is, and then two, just the players man they deserve to have have the best opportunity and all resources on deck to to go accomplish with what they’ve earned.”

On November 23, 2018, UCF played the last game of the regular season against in-state rival South Florida. Milton was tackled and dislocated his knee. He was carted off the field and then rushed to nearby Tampa General Hospital.

Upon arrival, doctors found extensive damage to the arteries and nerves in his right knee. Emergency surgery was undertaken to restore arterial blood flow; this involved taking the saphenous vein out of his left leg and transferring the vessel to the right leg to restore blood flow to that limb. The surgery was successful. Two more surgeries followed over the course of several days. 

Milton transferred to Florida State and worked to come back early in the 2021 season and Josh Heupel watched on from Knoxville as his former quarterback led Florida State on an inspirational comeback that fell just short.

“Unbelievable story,” Heupel said in September 2021. “Only he can do what he’s done over the last three years, coming back from, you know, in the early hours of that injury just hoping that he was going to be able to keep his leg. To two-and-a-half, three-year rehab process to get back.

“It started with just wanting to be able to have a normal, functioning leg and have a normal life. To now becoming a guy that can go play.”

A once promising career at quarterback ended later that season in Tallahassee. Never wavering faith pushed Milton into coaching and to stay in the game he loves so much. He for the call from Heupel to come help in Knoxville and now he finds himself helping two men that helped him along his journey.

“It’s exciting mainly because I’m working for two people that I love and care about dearly with coach Heupel and Coach Frost,” Milton said. “Like anything else, football is a people business but man football is special in the sense where you know those two guys were able to talk and there’s mutual respect respect there and I’m just grateful that both of them are allowing me to wear both hats at the same time. It’s a lot just trying to get this thing turned around at my alma mater but, I don’t really know how to describe how exciting it is.

“It’s stressful having to move my wife and kids in the middle of the holidays but it’s all it’s all good stress and it’s something that I dreamed about coming here to UCF. Coach Frost told me if one day you wanna get the coach and I’ll let you GA. Coach Heup was the first one to give me opportunity and I wouldn’t have the opportunity to be coaching quarterbacks at my alma mater if Coach Heup didn’t let me get my foot in the door two years ago, so I’m in debt. It’s about those guys and you know I know there’s a mutual love and respect for all three parts that went into this.”

The lessons he learned in Knoxville could prove invaluable as he gets more responsibility from Frost as an on-field assistant at UCF. He will become a recruiter and with a big smile and warm personality. And Milton might find success comes easy with the right approach.

“Learned a lot,” Milton said. “Really just being consistent and learning the tricks of the trade in this new world to college athletics where there’s so many layers of NIL and Transfer Portal and things of that nature. What I learned more than anything, which I think it’s more just been validated is just being authentic with the players, being real whether they’re doing good or bad because at the end of day the players, they want honesty, they want to be coached.

“They don’t want to be coddled most of them. Most them wanna be coached. I believe the players will respect you more when you’re honest with whether they’re doing good or Bad And they want to figure out how they can improve and if they don’t, you probably got the wrong guy.”

Milton enjoyed his near two years in Knoxville. Maybe one day he will be back as he climbs the coaching ranks. But no matter what, he will carry a fondness for Rocky Top with him.

Tennessee leaves an impression

“It’s a neat place man,” Milton said. “It really is from the people, to the city, the fans like I can’t say enough good things. It was hard to leave and really I don’t think there was another set of circumstances that would’ve got me to leave Tennessee other than you know the ones that transpired with Coach Frost and UCF because that place is unbelievable.”

The Hawaii native will see anything but Hawaii type weather this weekend in Columbus. Just like when he played, he likes the big time atmosphere and the stakes raised to the peak.

“I’m fired up,” Milton said. “I’m fired up one because you know this is something you dream about as a player and a coach. It’s the first collegiate playoff road game which is really cool Columbus, Ohio with two really really good football teams going at it and I’m excited to see the product that we put on the field because in my opinion when we’re at our best, I like I like our best versus anybody else’s best.

“Nico’s been playing really well towards the latter half of the season and you know I expect him to be doing the same Saturday night. If it doesn’t break open right away we just gotta keep chopping wood and I’m excited man. I’m excited for the pads to be banging in 20 degrees and we’ll let the chips all where they may.” 

Heupel has seen Milton grow as a coach. He is loved in the football facility at Tennessee.

“Our young coaches couldn’t be more excited for him,” Heupel said earlier this week to Volquest. “But he also understands that our players have earned the opportunity to play in this tournament. He just has great understanding of what we are doing. It’s another set of eyes when we look at defensive structures or where we are at offensively that help us to what is coming next.”

His role won’t change and he hopes his current place of employment won’t either, at least for a few more weeks.

“Same as it always is you know I’m up there with Halzle up in the box,” Milton said. “Just helping him get to certain things in certain situations and really I’m just an extra set of hands up there for him. I made the move to the box about halfway through the season and I think it’s been good for our team and I’m just grateful that they want me to be a part of it because it’d be easy for them to say you’re at a different place go ahead and go.

“Coach Heup, Coach Halzle, they give me the opportunity to come back up there and I’m going to give my all for Tennessee for however long we go on this run and I’m hoping it is through January.”