Florida State coach Mike Norvell said former UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton has been “fully cleared” to participate when the Seminoles open spring football camp Tuesday.
Milton, who transferred to FSU in December after five seasons with the Knights, spent nearly two years recovering from a horrific knee injury he suffered during the Knights’ 2018 regular-season finale against USF at Raymond James Stadium.
“He’s been fully cleared,” Norvell said Friday. “He looks great and I’m excited for what he’s going to be able to do and get him back acclimated to the true speed of the game.”
Milton went through multiple surgeries for his knee and one doctor told him 50% of people who suffer the same injury usually have the leg amputated because the artery is too damaged or severed and it’s too late to get the blood flow back to the leg.
He spent the first five months in a wheelchair or on crutches before doctors cleared him to ditch a restrictive brace for a less bulky one that allowed him to increase his physical activities. He received clearance from doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to return to practice in August and took over as quarterback for UCF’s scout team during the season.
“That was one of the things that excited me as we were going through the process of recruiting him once he was in the transfer portal. I got a chance to see some of that scout team video and he didn’t approach it as a practice,” Norvell said. “You could see the joy, you could see the speed at which he was playing with, it was different. You could see the excitement of him being able to play again.
“So, you take that into this spring ball and now it’s about timing and it’s about understanding. He is learning a new language and some new concepts regarding what he’s going to be asked to do here, but he’s excited about the opportunity that’s in front of him as well.”
Norvell said since his arrival on campus, Milton has embraced every aspect of his new team including participating in offseason workouts like the program’s grueling Tour of Duty.
“It’s been remarkable watching him,” Norvell said. “His change of direction, the things that he’s done in the weight room, the work that he does in the training room to prepare himself for the workday. That work that he’s shown to his teammates has built-in their respect for him.
“We’re going to be smart, just like anything, everybody has different situations to where their bodies are and he looks great.”
Norvell said all quarterbacks will be non-contact this spring with the intent of limiting wear and tear.
Strength and conditioning coach Josh Storms has seen firsthand the impact of Milton’s presence in the weight room as an inspiration to his teammates.
“Everyone knows who McKenzie Milton the player is on the field from seeing what he did at UCF, and those guys are very well aware of what he’s been through since that injury up until now,” Storms said. “Those guys see him come in and there aren’t limitations in the weight room. That guy’s going through Tour of Duty, so those guys all fully understand what that process has looked like.
“Even if they are only able to understand the tip of the iceberg of what it took, the tip of that iceberg is still big and significant. Those guys see that and it builds an automatic level of respect. You know a guy that’s been through a hard road and you see where he’s brought himself. That’s something everyone can learn from, players included, coaches included, staff included.”
