KISSIMMEE, FL — If you haven’t heard of University of Central Florida quarterback McKenzie Milton before Friday night. You certainly will by now today.
Thanks to his dazzling all-purpose performance in throwing three touchdowns and running for another three in the ground, the triggerman for the self-crowned co-national champion UCF Knights added his name to the Heisman Trophy conversation during No.16-ranked UCF’s 56-36 win over visiting Florida Atlantic.
While other marquee names such as Stanford RB Bryce Love, Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins, Penn State QB Trace McSorley, Houston DT Ed Oliver, Georgia QB Jake Fromm and Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa will garner a majority of the national spotlight. Milton is quietly doing work under the radar.
For the season, the 5’11 185-pound junior from Mililani, Hawaii has been balling out since last year’s 13-0 Peach Bowl and dissecting opposing defenses like pineapples from his native state in completing 67 percent of his passes for 4,037 yards, 37 touchdowns and nine interceptions en route to claiming first-team AAC honors, AAC Offensive Player Of The Year, 2017 AAC Championship Game MVP, Peach Bowl Offensive MVP and The Archie Griffin award given to college football’s most valuable player.
So far this season, Milton is picking up right from where he left off last year in passing for 895 yards and nine touchdowns in his first three games in 2018.
It’s early and there is still quite a bit of football left to be played with big conference games coming up, and while he finished eighth in Heisman voting in 2017, if Milton continues his current pace, he may very well improve on that finish with a trip to New York this fall.