McKenzie Milton aiming for 2020 comeback
UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton, who suffered a devastating leg injury in November 2018 and missed all of last season, says he's made significant progress and is hopeful he'll be cleared for action when he travels to the Mayo Clinic in late June to meet with his doctor.
Milton thinks there's a "50/50" chance he'll be cleared and declared full go for preseason camp.
"(Playing in 2020) is still my goal," Milton said. "When I see my surgeon at the end of June we'll know more at that point. That's my goal. The reason I set that goal is I want to approach rehab every day with the idea I'll be ready to go for fall camp and ready for North Carolina in our first game. If I'm not approaching it that way, I feel like I'd be missing days in therapy not working as hard as I can. That's why I set that goal. I hope to reach that. If i don't, it is what it is. I'll keep knocking it down block by block. Hopefully when I go to Minnesota at the end of June I'll get some good news."
Milton, who has remained in Orlando during his pandemic, spoke with local reporters on Thursday via video teleconference. Here's everything he had to say during his 20-minute interview:
Gabriel Davis being drafted here recently, I know you were with him when it happened. Seeing him being able to go to the NFL, what did that mean to you?
"It meant a lot, just seeing my buddy. I met him his senior year of high school. He was close friends with Brandon Moore, so he'd come and hang with us at the dorms my freshman year. Seeing him go from a high school senior to an NFL player is something special. It's a culmination of all his hard work paying off. I was super happy for him and his family."
How would you describe your progress? We've seen videos of you throwing the ball around. How do you feel physically?
"I've been making a lot of progress. I've been going to therapy every day after school. They still have the training room open for five of us that are coming off long-term injuries. It's me, Brandon Moore, Jordan Davis, Alec Holler and Jarrad Baker. All knee guys. We've been in there rehabbing every day. We're all making big strides. I'm feeling good. Feeling strong, upper body and lower body. Still a long ways to go. I see my surgeon in less than two months at the end of June. We'll see what he says when I get up there."
What's a tough moment during this rehab you could share you had to work through?
"There's been a lot of high moments and low moments. I'd say the toughest thing has been staying mentally strong throughout all this. Staying patient throughout the whole process. Breaking down scar tissue is extremely painful. Once you start seeing progress and seeing there's light at the end of the tunnel, that makes it worth it. Like the saying goes, no pain, no gain. Been dealing with that. It's been a tough process, but also an eye-opening one. I feel like that's been good for me in a way."
Do you feel you've become more impactful for people after the injury, kind of like a symbol of hope?
"Performing on the football field is one thing, but how you carry yourself off it is another thing. I try to represent UCF and the name on my jersey with pride. If I'm a symbol for people who have gone through tough things physically, that's great. I definitely want to get back on the field and show people you can overcome tough obstacles. I'm doing it for others, but also doing it for myself. I want to prove I can do something special."
When you first talked about wanting to play football again, I think a lot of people doubted you'd have a chance to do that. Now that you're getting closer and it seems more realistic, did the doubters fuel you?
"It's not so much about the doubters. From my freshman year there's been doubters. Just me being able to perform on the field, it's not necessarily about that. It's about people who have gone through this and weren't able to make it back, like Zach Miller of the Bears, going through a tough injury. And seeing people who had a tough injury like this. Jaylon Smith is one of the best linebackers in the NFL and he dislocated his knee his last game in college with nerve damage. In my opinion, he's now one of the best linebackers in the NFL. It's not about the doubters. It's for myself and the guys going through rehab with me. It's not easy. It's not about the people not believing in me. That's natural. There's always going to be people not believing in you. It's more for myself and my family. If people draw hope from me, that's great. I draw hope from people like Zach Miller, Jaylon Smith and Teddy Bridgewater, people who have been through stuff like this. People have done it before and I definitely think I'll be able to too."
I saw a post from Jan Garcias that you went over and threw the ball with Britt. We see people around the world trying to lift everyone's spirits with little acts of kindness. What did that mean to you?
"Britt is our No. 1 fan at UCF. Like I said, everything is not as bad as it seems. Everything is not as good as it seems. Someone like Britt, she puts things into perspective. She treats me like I'm her brother and I treat her like she's my sister. All she sees is love and hope. I love going to hang out with her at her house. It's a big UCF family. All the support I've been getting, not just Britt, has honestly been a big help going through this rehab process. If I didn't have that support, who knows where I'd be."
You said you've been on campus going through rehab. Is it weird not having the whole team there?
"It's extremely quiet. It is weird. The parking lot being empty at Wayne Densch. Nobody riding bikes. Nobody running around. It is weird. It's the new norm now. It'll be weird when everybody is back and adjusting to the players, coaches and support staff being back, but I look forward to that time. The new norm, I've kind of been enjoying it. I've been enjoying it. Not as much pressure I guess. You get in there and grind. It's been good."
Do you envision getting back to being the athletic guy that everybody remembers?
"I sure hope so. Like I said at the beginning of this injury, if I'm not at the level I was or surpassed that, there's no reason for me to be out there. But I feel like I'll be physically better. Mentally, I'll be even sharper having the mental toughness of going through this. I sure hope I can give our fans and those that support UCF what they paid for with season tickets. Give them a good show. That's what it's all about. Performing in front of the fans and getting wins on the board."
You said last year that returning in 2020 was your goal. Is it too soon to say you'd be ready in 2020? Have you made strides that has made you more confident?
"(Playing in 2020) is still my goal," Milton said. "When I see my surgeon at the end of June we'll know more at that point. That's my goal. The reason I set that goal is I want to approach rehab every day with the idea I'll be ready to go for fall camp and ready for North Carolina in our first game. If I'm not approaching it that way, I feel like I'd be missing days in therapy not working as hard as I can. That's why I set that goal. I hope to reach that. If i don't, it is what it is. I'll keep knocking it down block by block. Hopefully when I go to Minnesota at the end of June I'll get some good news."
First you and then Dillon. How would you describe the Hawaii to UCF pipeline? Who's the next Hawaii quarterback coming to Orlando?
"It's been a special thing to see, Orlando accept us with open arms and adopt some of our culture. It's a family atmosphere here. It's been special to see that. We've got another offensive lineman, LP. There's a lot of talent there. You saw the NFL Draft and there was a lot of Hawaii guys that got picked up. Hopefully we can get another QB out there. I'm not sure. Dillon probably knows the young guys better than me. I'm kind of old had now. Dillon would be the guy to ask."
Outside of being at home and going to empty facility to train and recover, how have you stayed active? Looked like you went fishing the other day?
"I've gone fishing before, but I've never caught any fish. Went to the Wekiva River down near Altamonte. It was beautiful. Caught my first bass. That was a blast. At home I've been doing home workouts as well. Been playing some video games. Been playing 2K. Been watching a lot of TV. Watching Ozarks right now. Hanging out with my mom and the dog. Been trying to stay indoors as much as possible besides going to the school. I don't want to put anyone at risk out there. Doing some workouts on my balcony. Watching TV and video games, that's about it."
What's the dynamic now between you and Dillon Gabriel? You've kind of coached him and see him become a star at quarterback. At the same time, you're trying to come back too.
"He's like a little brother to me. Like I said in past interviews, he's way further along than I was as a freshman. That's a credit to his hard work, how hard he pushes himself in the weight room, training room and film room. I think it'll be a little more competitive once I'm fully cleared. We're all competing for that job. Me, Dillon, D.J., Quadry and Parker Navarro coming in as a freshman. Whoever is it at the helm, we're all going to support each other. It killed me not being on the field (last season) because I've played football every year since I was in the second grade. It was tough watching, but also really rewarding seeing a young man that went to my high school and now is at the same university as me and is going to do some special things here."
If you had to put odds on whether or not you'll be ready to go, based on how you feel right now, what do you think they'd be?
"That's a tough one. I'm not a betting man. I can't really say. Right now, I'd honestly say 50/50. It's still up in the air. I'm making big progress, but I've still got a long ways to go. I'm not sure what my surgeon is going to say when I go up there in June. I hope that he clears me, but like I said, if he doesn't, it is what it is. It's been a long hard process. I've learned patience throughout this. If I have to wait longer, so be it. If not, whatever he does clear me to do, I'll take that and run with it."
I'm not sure if you saw the E:60 piece on Alex Smith and his leg injury. Have you had a chance to talk with him about what he's gone through?
"I haven't been able to check it out yet. My dad and Coach Heup both reached out to me to look into that. I haven't talked to him, but definitely would like to. After I first got hurt, Joe Theismann did reach out to me. He went through something very similar like Alex Smith. Like I said, being able to reach out to guys who have gone through similar stuff, like Teddy and Joe Theismann, just grabbing on to hope they've shared with me. It's been cool."
Are there some strides you've made with that knee, maybe in the last couple months, like more movement or being able to jog. Something where you can see you're a lot better than you were a few months ago?
"Really in the past few weeks, I've been doing a lot of single leg jumps. At first it was kind of hard. With the nerve damage, it takes a while for it to wake up. It was hard to pop, pop, pop and do explosive stuff. But in the past three weeks, it's gotten a lot easier. I'm definitely feeling a lot more athletic doing that stuff, single leg jumps on my surgical leg. Seeing the progress is like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. That's why we come in every day and bust our butts to try and get back on that field."
You've been rehabbing on campus with Brandon Moore. How is he coming along?
"He's a freak athlete in the way he heals. Part of me wishes I was like him in that sense. It's also his work ethic and his mindset. He's set on getting back for 2020 as well. We encourage each other every day. He's making big strides as well. I think he'll be getting his brace off in a month. I'm super excited for him. He's been through so much in his life... He's going to be a different animal physically and his mind is going to be so sharp, I don't think anything is going to be able to stop him."
What have you learned about the coaching profession this past year working with Coach Heup?
"It's a grind. It's very similar to being a player. They put in more hours. They spend a lot of time away from their families. I wouldn't say that's making me second guess being a coach, but it puts things into perspective, how much time they invest into us as players and athletes. I've grown more of an appreciation for them and what they sacrifice for us."
Have you had a chance to talk to your teammates during this pandemic, their morale, just with the uncertainty of what this season might look like?
"I talk with my guys all the time. They're busting their butts doing home workouts. Some of them are working out together. Some stayed in Orlando. Some went back to their homes. Just from the broad view of our team, everybody is working their butts off. Whenever we get back, I think our team will be ready to roll. I don't think we'll miss a beat. I think we're all itching to get back on campus and back around each other, so we can work on timing on routes and have that camaraderie heading into fall camp."