ORLANDO Fla. — The common consensus seems to be that the struggling, offensively challenged Florida State Seminoles should immediately offer McKenzie Milton a scholarship so he will transfer from UCF to FSU.
I have a much better idea: I believe the flourishing, offensively thriving Florida Gators should try to lure McKenzie Milton to Gainesville to replace potential Heisman Trophy winner Kyle Trask next season.
Milton indicated during an interview on our radio show Friday — a day after he announced he was entering the transfer portal — that, "a school or two from Florida have reached out as well as some coaches from around the country."
And why wouldn't they? Any college football program in the nation that needs an elite quarterback next season should be reaching out to Milton to see if he is a fit for their program. Bring him in. Examine his knee. And if he's healthy, offer him a scholarship.
Immediately.
This kid was one of the most magical quarterbacks in the country when he went down with that horrific knee injury two seasons ago. He led the Scott Frost-coached UCF Knights to an undefeated 13-0 season in 2017 and directed the nation's highest scoring offense.
A year later, he was on his way to leading the Josh Heupel-coached Knights to another undefeated season during which the Knights finished fifth in the nation in total offense. Among college quarterbacks, Milton finished fourth nationally in total offense in 2017 and 10th in 2018.
When I asked him on Tuesday, Heupel confided he has been fielding calls from coaches across the country and he assures them that, when healthy, Milton will return to his rightful place among college football's best quarterbacks.
"When healthy, he's as good as anybody," Heupel said. "I tell them (coaches who call) that he's close to being back to 100 percent, and there's nobody better than him when he's at 100 percent. This story is not complete yet and it's an unbelievable story that is still being written. I'm excited for him and his future."
Of course, as Heupel says, Milton must be healthy if he is going to be the quarterback he once was. Obviously, Milton and his advisers feel he is going to be physically ready to play at a high level next fall or else why would he be transferring? If he's not ready to play and play well, it would have been much easier for him to just stay at UCF as a backup for his final year of eligibility.
In a recent interview with ESPN, UCF head football athletic trainer Mary Vander Heiden said Milton's knee is stable and its strength is "within normal limits." If this is the case — and, as Heupel says, Milton is close to being 100% — then the Gators should definitely pursue him.
I realize Emory Jones is supposedly the heir apparent to Trask, but is anybody really sure whether Jones can be an elite college quarterback? Yes, Jones was highly recruited out of high school, has been at UF for three years and has patiently waited his turn, but all we really know about him is that he's a good runner.
However, with Trask, Mullen has transitioned into a passing offense, which means Milton may be a better fit right now than Jones. And just from listening to Milton talk, it sure sounds like Florida or perhaps Miami (if D'Eriq King leaves early for the NFL) are a better fit for him than the two landing spots — Florida State and Nebraska — many are speculating he will select. The Frost-coached Cornhuskers and the rebuilding Seminoles are both struggling programs with perennially porous offensive lines.
"There are definitely offensive systems I feel I could flourish in," Milton says. "I love what we've done with both staffs (Frost and Heupel) at UCF. I'm looking at places with a good offensive line that can protect and a good culture and, obviously, I want to win. All that plays into it, but I'm going to respect and listen to every coach who reaches out to me. I love playing in the warm weather, but I know if I want to play in the NFL, you have to play in some cold weather games. So that's not really the deciding factor."
At this point, Milton says he is open to "any and all options," but it's obvious he's looking for a good team that needs a great quarterback.
As much as UCF fans would hate it, the Florida Gators and McKenzie Milton might just be the perfect marriage.
